Serpents in Solitude
by Piodasses
Summary: A Weasley gets sorted to Slytherin and finds herself in solitude with a Potter. A new take on the wrong boy who lived plot, with semi-dark and independent HarryGinny.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The hapless girl slowly lifted the Sorting Hat from over her head. The sight that met her eyes made her grimace in a mixture of distaste and fear. It was a shell-shocked hall. Nobody had expected this. A Weasley in Slytherin?

On a slight shove from an equally shocked Deputy Headmistress, Ginny Weasley leapt of the stool and looked around helplessly. Her gaze fell instantly on her brothers. Ron shot her a dark look, sitting next to Jerry Potter, the boy-who-lived. Ginny's face clouded even further on seeing Jerry's look of mistrust. Her gaze shifted to the twins, who shook their heads in disbelief, and finally Percy. Surprisingly, Percy looked at her sympathetically, and attempted a weak smile.

"Miss Weasley, please go to your house table," McGonagall said exasperatedly to the final student to be sorted for the year. As shocking as her placement might be, she had no right to hold up the evening for everyone else.

Sniffing, Ginny turned her head towards the mass of green and silver, and took a step hesitatingly. All the students sitting there seemed to look at her with an almost predatory glee. She grimaced once again, but walked resolutely.

'_It matters little where your brothers are, for you belong in only one place,'_ the Sorting Hat had whispered in her head before yelling SLYTHERIN for the whole of Hogwarts to hear.

'I don't belong in Slytherin,' the thought filled Ginny's head with despair and distress. Unbidden, she felt a tear threatening to appear in her eye. She took a deep breath and walked to the furthest corner of the table, away from other students, and sat down. Resting her head on the table, the newest Slytherin paid little heed to the rest of the proceedings, including the start and finish of dinner.

When the prefects led the students to the Slytherin Dungeons, Ginny walked as if in a daze. Once in a while, another first year student attempted to draw Ginny in a conversation, but the miserable girl didn't even appear to register the words.

For years, she had eagerly awaited this day, when she would finally follow her older brothers to Hogwarts, and to Gryffindor. But now that very day became her biggest nightmare. She was a Slytherin, the very embodiment of everything horrible that her brothers ever spoke of. The Lair of the Serpents would become her home. Ginny shuddered. What would her parents say?

Tears threatened to appear again, but the girl held them back stubbornly. Her pride was all that was left to her.

"Welcome to Slytherin House," the prefect said. Ginny didn't recall his name. "Over here in Slytherin, house loyalty means everything. Whatever happens in the dungeons, stays in the dungeons! If any of you go running to anyone save Professor Snape, you will become a pariah for the rest of your days in Hogwarts. This is most important, no matter what happens, always seek Professor Snape's aid. I am absolutely serious. The other houses hate us, and so your only friends for the next seven years are here, around you. Do not lose this friendship, or else you will suffer."

"Some of you might have expected to be sorted to another house," and as he said, the prefect's eyes fell unwaveringly on Ginny's red head. "But you are here. Accept it. Accept us. Or your life will be much more miserable than it needs to be." Finally, he lowered his voice and said, "Some of you might receive visitors to your beds tonight. Struggle, and the consequences will be dire. Tattle outside this house, and you will suffer, for no one save Professor Snape will believe a Slytherin, and he doesn't like tattlers. Nothing that happens in here is wrong, and should not be divulged outside."

To Ginny, the meaning was clear, and this time her determination gave way. She started crying, disregarding the look of disgust thrown at her by the prefect.

An hour later, Ginny found herself unable to sleep. The dreaded words of the prefect haunted her ears. She knew she wouldn't be overlooked, not because she was pretty, but because she was a Weasley. She heard the noises coming from a bed near hers; the girl was a muggleborn, and therefore even worse off than her. But at that moment, she only cared for her own self. With a shudder, she realized how Slytherin that was.

'I don't belong in Slytherin,' she repeated like a mantra in her head, when her curtains were pulled open.

"Well well," a voice drawled. "If it isn't a little Weasel!"

Shielding herself with her teddy bear, Ginny crouched as far as she could on her bed as a thin blonde boy slowly made towards her. She had no doubt as to his identity. She had seen him only weeks ago in Diagon Alley. Draco Malfoy was claiming her.

"Please, don't," she begged pitifully.

Malfoy laughed scornfully. "Such a perfect opportunity, how can I not? It's a pity I cannot boast to your brothers about it, how I ravage their baby sister… how I walk to her dorm, get on her bed, slowly remove her robes, and…"

"Leave her, Malfoy," a quiet yet forceful voice interrupted.

Ginny turned her head to see a raven haired boy observe them from the entrance of the dorm. She squinted her eyes and nearly gasped. The boy looked a lot like James Potter, the boy-who-lived's father.

"Get lost, Potter," Malfoy sneered. "I was here first. You know the rules."

At the mention of Potter, Ginny's eyes widened and she looked pleadingly at the newcomer. He had a short and lean build, but carried himself with an aura of authority. Approaching Malfoy fearlessly, he said, "You know how much I care about the rules of this house. Go back to your bed, Draco, you are too young to be playing 'big boy'."

"And you are not?" the boy asked snidely, but took a step back.

The black haired boy didn't respond to Draco Malfoy. He looked at Ginny appraisingly, and said, "Come with me."

Ginny hesitated. She looked from Malfoy to the apparent Potter, and without a second thought, scampered to her feet, and keeping as much distance between herself and Malfoy, got behind the black haired boy, her teddy dangling from one hand.

"Go to bed, Draco," the boy said ominously as a farewell, as he walked out, the redhead inches behind him.

In the Common Room, there were quite a few older students awake, doing all kinds of things, from revising for the next day to making out.

Seeing the two first years descend, several eyes turned to them, but the boy-who-was-a-Potter didn't appear to notice. Ginny hid herself behind the boy, trying to not appear conspicuous, but it was hard to not get identified.

"Look, blood traitors!" a voice mocked, and several titters rose.

"Silence," the Potter boy said quietly, but was disregarded. Sighing, he opened his mouth and let out an angry snake-like hiss. The effect was instantaneous. The Common Room froze, and slowly returned to their own tasks, ignoring the Parselmouth.

But Ginny recoiled in horror. To her, the hiss was not merely a sound. She knew what it was, for her ears heard it well enough. But to her mind, it was a clear and succinct commanding word, _"Silence!"_ She froze in her spot, her hand covering her mouth, as she looked at the other snake-speaker with dread.

But the boy grabbed her arm and dragged her towards a portrait of a snake coiled around in a circle. Looking at the painting, the boy hissed again, _"Open."_

Ginny watched in silent awe as the painting sprung open, revealing a dark passage, and she was pulled in by the boy.

"Ginny Weasley," he said plainly. "A family strongly aligned to Dumbledore and the Light. A family of Gryffindors. Ginny Weasley, a Slytherin."

Ginny shuddered and flinched at the final word. The way the boy spoke made it more real than it had felt so far. Raising her head, she looked at him, meaning to thank him for rescuing her from Draco Malfoy, when she realized she wasn't aware of his intentions.

As if reading her thoughts from her expression, the boy said, "You have nothing to fear from me. Even Malfoy was more of pomp and show than anything else. He is too young to have done anything… as am I. But the upper year students aren't."

"Th-thank you," Ginny uttered finally, letting out a deep breath.

"I'm Harry Potter," the boy said, without acknowledging the girl's gratitude. "Twin brother of the boy-who-lived, black sheep of the family."

Ginny shifted uneasily. Harry had been kind to her, and she wanted to tell him that he wasn't a black sheep when she recalled she had never really heard much of him. Frowning, she looked at him curiously.

"You're a Parselmouth like me," he said. "The Serpent in the Portrait told me." Then looking around, he hissed again, _"Lumos!"_ Instantly, light dawned in the room around them. It was a comfortably lavish, nearly palatial chamber. A chandelier was hung on the top, a huge king-size bed with silk coverings, a dresser, wardrobes, a bookshelf, a fireplace, a piano in a distant corner with sofas, and an en suite bathroom.

"This has been my room since the middle of last year," Harry explained. "By rights it belongs to you as well."

"Rights?" Ginny asked in bemusement.

"The right of being serpent-tongued," Harry said plainly. "You need it more than I do. I may have intimidated Draco Malfoy, but the older students are a different matter. And I can't keep an eye on you all the time."

Ginny's eyes welled up at the boy's words, dispassionate and yet hiding a kindness she hadn't expected from anyone since the Hat's ominous declaration. "Why are you doing this?" The meaning was clear.

So was the response. "Because we are alike," the boy said. "I had to spend my nights in fear of being hexed or injured. By the time, the Serpent in the Portrait revealed this room's existence to me, I had nursed six broken bones, two strangulation hexes, three cutting curses, and that's not even counting the Gryffindors. But you face a worse humiliation. And I know your brothers. Our narrow minded families do not accept our house placement. The other members of this house will never accept our families. Between two contrasting identities which was chosen for us by others, our next seven years will pass."

'We are alike,' she thought as she gazed at the boy. Then frowning, she asked, "If you give me this room, where will you go?"

Shrugging, he said, "My dorm, I suppose. I doubt many will attempt to hurt me anymore, knowing I am a Parselmouth."

"No!" Ginny said determinedly. Looking at the bed, she hesitated but said resolutely, "If you leave, then so will I. The bed is big enough for both of us."

In surprise, the boy turned to her and said with a frown, "Slytherins would take those words to label you as a foolish and noble Gryffindor, while Gryffindors would call you a Slytherin slut. Which one are you, Ginny?"

Taking the question as a test, Ginny thought for a moment. The answer was quite clear. "I'm a foolish and noble Slytherin."

Then the boy smiled to her for the first time and said, "We are alike." He walked to the bathroom and returned minutes later in his pajamas. Ginny was already snuggled on one side of the bed, as close to the edge as she could get. The teddy bear lay next to her, presumably separating the two of them. "You can get your things during the day," he whispered, climbing up and covering himself with the duvet, before turning off the lights, _"Nox!"_


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to all reviewers. I apologize for the rating, it has been modified accordingly.

**Chapter 2**

From annoying older brothers to infuriating mothers and exasperating housemates, Ginny's next few days would have been truly torturous for her without the support of her new roommate.

"I didn't know you could shut off a Howler," she whispered gratefully one morning, while at breakfast. "Thanks! Dad's warning letter wasn't fast enough. My mum's voice isn't particularly soft… or pleasant, when she is screaming."

"I know," the boy said with a grimace. "Your brothers received several last year. The one after the troll incident was the nastiest."

"What was that all about?" Ginny asked curiously. "I only heard bits and pieces. Never the true story."

"Foolish Gryffindors deciding a troll makes an adequate target practice for their less than adequate skills," Harry muttered, "and getting rewarded for their supposed 'bravery'. Never mind that three students nearly got killed when the Gryffindor name can be further glorified."

"That's awful," Ginny said. "What would have happened if it were Slytherins who did it?"

Grimacing again, he replied seriously, "We don't want to find out."

Lessons were hard for Ginny in the first week. The Transfiguration Professor, Minerva McGonagall, seemed slightly miffed to not have a Weasley in her house, while the Potions Master, Severus Snape, seemed highly affronted to have one in his. As a result, she faced antagonism in both classes, and it didn't help that the students in both houses mirrored the feelings of their Heads. In the middle were the other teachers, who had little opinion regarding Ginny's sorting, and were more concerned with her struggling in class.

"It's your wand," Harry commented one night, after a long session of complaining from the redhead. It had become habitual for them to lay on their backs and talk to each other about their day in detail before sleeping, or at least Ginny would talk while Harry listened and offered his comments from time to time.

"I had the same trouble at first," he elaborated. "I take it your wand isn't new?"

"No," Ginny said in a low voice. "My family couldn't afford it."

"Better a lack of gold than a lack of concern," Harry said cryptically. "I know a secret… place with a box full of wands. I will bring it up tomorrow night. I got mine from there, and though it isn't a perfect match, my current wand is powerful, and with enough practice, it works quite well."

Ginny smiled happily, and yawning, said, "What would I do without you," as she felt her eyes become heavy with sleep.

Seeing her sleep, Harry smiled. The start of his second year was substantially better than the whole of his first year. Sighing in content, he rolled to his side, and with a final eyeful of dark crimson, he closed his eyes, but then Ginny innocently asked a question before drifting to sleep, "How's it like… living with Jerry Potter?"

She should have realized something was amiss when Harry took a sharp intake of breath, but oblivious, she continued, "It used to be my favorite story as a kid, you know. I used to have a crush on him. I even named my teddy after him." She raised the big brown bear that she hugged to sleep every night. "JB is for Jerry Bear. Ron teased me so much… Harry?" she sat up in surprise when Harry quietly left the bed.

She gasped at the expression on his face. It was contorted in pure anguish combined with tremendous rage. "Harry, what did I say?" she asked miserably, as the boy turned his back to her and walked towards the Portrait of the Serpent. Leaping out her bed, she ran to him and grabbed his arm before he could get out of the portrait. "Please tell me."

Taking a deep breath, he said coldly, "Never speak to me about him again." Tearing his arm from her grasp, he left the room, leaving a shocked and dismayed Ginny behind. Slowly, she turned and returned to her bed. Climbing up, she waited silently and unmoving for Harry to return. Her eyes clenched tight, she prayed for Harry to come back.

After what appeared to be an eternity but was about half an hour, Ginny gave up and started crying. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the cuddly bear that she had loved since she was four and flung it across the room, and sobbed on her pillow.

She didn't see Harry the next day, or night. Feeling miserable, she even dared to ask one of his year mates, a boy called Blaise Zabini, who wasn't as mean as Draco Malfoy or Pansy Parkinson. But even Blaise couldn't tell where Harry disappeared after lessons.

Finally, after three days of not seeing Harry, she skipped her History lesson, and waited outside the Potions class for Harry to finish his day.

When the raven haired boy emerged, the first person to leave the class, he saw Ginny and instantly turned to the opposite direction. But Ginny ran towards him, and headed him off. "Please Harry. I'm sorry. Please don't avoid me."

Seeing a few people stop and stare at them, Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and led her to the Slytherin Common Room. Seeing it full of people, he sighed, and entered their private room.

Looking at the sorrowful girl, he said sharply, "Finally, I have a friend… and she also wants to talk about Jerry Potter, from his insignificant and useless brother!" Picking up a vase, he crashed it against the wall, shattering it to bits. "I find my wand, but it's got some ruddy phoenix core, and so must be kept safe for him to use in the future…" He picked up a goblet, and threw it next to the broken vase. "Not receiving anything for Christmas, I find an unnamed present underneath the tree… and it's also for Jerry that my godfather forgot to write his name… I come to Hogwarts hoping to be myself, just Harry Potter, and everyone calls me Jerry Potter's brother… I've never had anything! Anything at all, that was just mine, and mine alone… I thought you and I… clearly, I had hoped too much!" His eyes were shut tightly as he yelled at the girl, and finishing, he turned to leave, when:

"Incendio!" a broken voice whispered, and the sound of flames rippled through the room.

Turning around, Harry was shocked. Ginny was shaking with grief, and her teddy bear was in flames. He looked at her aghast, and then ran to her. Pulling her away from the burning bear and to safety, he pointed his wand and said, "Aguamen-"

"No," Ginny pulled his wand hand away. "Let it burn!" Then, she wept against his arm.

Almost automatically, Harry put an arm around the crying girl.

"I d-didn't it mean l-like that… I just wanted t-to talk about y-your family," she sobbed. "Please, Harry. Don't leave me. You're the only friend I have." When he didn't reply, she ran to her bedside, and picking up a book, she started tearing the pages venomously.

Harry's eyes widened as a page flew to his foot. It was titled, _The Boy Who Lived_. He walked to the girl, and firmly removed the tattered book from her fingers. Flinging it aside, he hugged her.

They remained together like that until dinner, neither talked much, but both were truly content for the first time in Hogwarts. After a quick dinner, Harry got up, and assuring Ginny that he would return at night, he hastily walked away.

True to his word, he did return shortly before curfew. He removed a small cube from his pocket, and magically enlarged it to its original size.

"Harry, what's that?" she asked curiously.

"The box of wands," he replied. "I was going to leave it in the room tomorrow during your flying class." He opened it and shoved it towards Ginny.

"Harry, don't bother so much about me," Ginny said quietly, but picked up a wand, and waved it. After several attempts, she found one that shot red and green sparks. She smiled happily at Harry.

"Sandalwood, Ten Inches, Runespoor Fang," Harry intoned, reading from an inscription on the box, next to where the wand was placed. "Good for charms, and has a nice fragrance. Salazar Slytherin made these wands himself," he added. "Mine has a Basilisk Fang in it."

Hearing the details of her wand, Ginny's eyes widened. "So I am truly a Slytherin?"

"Being a Slytherin is no shame," Harry said, with a wave of his hand. "Slytherin himself did not intend his house to be like it is today." He appeared to be debating with himself, before he walked to the bookshelf and removed a thick tome. "Slytherin's personal journal. In this, he writes his views on magic, some of his own spells and creations, and other stuff. Never once did he claim muggles to be inferior to wizards, his animosity was to the Church's persecution. He only sought a separation to prevent what happened a few centuries later... the burning of witches and wizards."

Ginny listened to him eagerly, until her eyes fell on another book on the shelf that had clearly been used recently, and was displaced.

Harry followed her gaze and said, "Occlumency is the most important thing for us to learn. It will prevent Dumbledore and Snape from reading our minds. They have tried to do so several times. After reading this, I have been able to divert their attention to something unimportant in my mind. You should start reading this too."

--

Two things occurred during the following few days that caused much worry to both Harry and Ginny.

Her twin brothers somehow knew of their new sleeping arrangement, which was strange, as not even Professor Snape had been intimated about it by the students. A standing agreement had quickly been reached within the Slytherin House. If the Slytherins left the two Parselmouths alone, then they wouldn't make the Serpent Statues and Portraits in the Common Room and dormitories make their lives miserable. Even Draco Malfoy had finally agreed to it after his boxers were found decorating the Common Room one morning.

But the twins, Fred and George Weasleys, had discovered, and had confronted the two of them. In their words, "We know you sleep on the same bed, or at least, very close together. But you haven't yet done anything… more intimate."

"We also know of the little encounter with the Malfoy brat on the first night," the second twin resumed. "And we can only assume what might have transpired.

"But somehow, someway, you, Harry Potter, are keeping our sister safe."

"We don't like you, never have, and perhaps, never will, but we are thankful to you."

"But we will be keeping an eye on you, and believe us, we will know." Turning to Ginny, he added, "If he ever hurts you, Ginny, you tell us, and we will make him regret it."

"So now I'm your sister again," Ginny commented sharply. "What happened to, 'no sister of ours would be sorted to the house of snakes'?"

Fidgeting uneasily, one of the twins ventured an apology. "We're sorry, Ginny. We shouldn't have said that."

"The Sorting took us by shock," the second one added. "We are not very happy about this, but we shouldn't have said those things to you."

"Will you forgive us?" the first twin finished.

Thinking quietly, Ginny finally said, "Only if you promise never to annoy, threaten, prank or irritate Harry again. Without him, I wouldn't have survived a single night." When the twins nodded grimly, she asked sharply, "So Bill wrote back, did he?"

Wincing, one of the twins said, "Yes he did."

"And he promised to box our ears until we lost our hearing, and then break our noses, and then break our limbs one after the other," the other added.

"Before letting you cast the worst Bat Bogey Hex of our lives," the first one finished, shuddering. "But, mum and Ron are still upset," he added as they departed. "And Charlie." But that was it with that.

The other issue was more troubling. The diary of Tom Riddle had somehow ended up in Ginny's possession. When she first discovered it among her books, she hadn't decided whether she wanted to maintain a diary. On the train journey, she had finally decided to write her experiences every night. But with the Sorting, everything changed. And with Harry, the need to write in a diary had become even less, as she would talk to him every night until they fell asleep.

But when she finally did scribble some notes on it one day, to her surprise, the words disappeared and the diary wrote back to her. Amazed, she waited for Harry that night to show this new thing to him.

Harry, however, saw the name on the front page, and instantly snatched the diary from her hand, breathing heavily.

"Harry, what are you doing?" she asked.

Instead of responding, he pointed to the window sill. Curiously, Ginny walked there and gasped. Scratched onto the stone were the words - _I am Lord Voldemort_, and below it, _Tom Marvolo Riddle_. In horror, Ginny turned to Harry, who was attempting to destroy the diary, but to no avail. Flames wouldn't consume it, and not even a cutting curse could tear it.

Sighing, he held it gingerly and hid it behind a portrait that was far from their bed. "That diary is foul. We should keep it hidden until we discover a way to destroy it."

Acquiescing without hesitation, Ginny suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of relief that Harry was with her. There was no saying what could have happened to her if she had continued writing on the diary.

"Should we take it to a professor?" she asked, though knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Which professor?"

Ginny sighed. "Stupid idea. Does Slytherin's manuscript have any spells that can be used?"

Shrugging, Harry said, "It probably does. But the tome is so thick, and it could be written anywhere. We should just continue the way we are doing, five pages a day. We'll find it eventually."

Grinning, Ginny nodded happily. The new wand and Slytherin's Tome had already had much of an impact on Ginny's schoolwork. No longer was she struggling in class.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for reviews again. One thing I'd like to clear up. It doesn't take whips and chains to make a child emotionally hurt. Unlike some wrong bwl stories, there isn't a lot of abuse in this story, just enough hurt caused by feelings of ignominy and insignificance. Thanks to Pooky for a quote by Harry later ('Even good people can do bad things').

**Chapter 3**

Ginny really didn't like Lockhart, and she was glad that Harry agreed with her. She had laughed heartily when he told her of his disastrous first lesson with the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, but had waved it down as a one-time thing. But as her own lessons progressed, she decided that the classroom was a waste of time.

"He's obsessed with the boy-who-lived," Harry had remarked dryly. "I hope they announce their engagement soon."

Ginny giggled, but didn't respond. When her nervousness hadn't completely gone away after their fight, Harry had started gently bringing his brother in conversation. She knew it was his way of indicating that she could ask him any questions she had, but she no longer wanted to.

"It's a good thing we have other books here," she muttered, completely changing the topic. "Try to read my mind, Harry. I want to see if I can hold you back."

"It's too soon," he replied back. "It took me nearly two months to even detect when someone was reading my mind."

"Please, Harry," she pleaded. "Snape was looking at me funnily last lesson."

Harry looked at Ginny keenly, with a frown. "Are you sure? I don't want to invade your privacy."

When Ginny's eyes kept pleading, he sighed. "Alright." He raised his wand and hissed, _"Legilimens!"_

--

_A five year old Ginny tugged her mother's apron. "Mummy, mummy, can I go with Ron?"_

"_No, Ginny," an older redhead said firmly. "How many times have I told you that Jerry only asked for Ron and the twins to come?" She took the small girl's wrist, and took her to the living room. "Percy, play with Ginny. I am busy right now." She ignored Percy's groan of frustration. _

_A teary-eyed Ginny waited for her mother to return, and when Percy made no attempt to even acknowledge her presence, she dashed upstairs to her room._

_--_

_A six year old Ginny was in the muggle zoo with her family. A really obnoxious muggle family was in front of them, looking at the snakes._

_Eagerly, she separated from her family, and walked up to the snakes behind the glasses._

"_You're pretty," she said, to a Boa Constrictor, and giggled, when it winked back. Looking at the labels, she said, "What's Brazil? Is it far from London?" The snake looked sadly at her, and then she realized, "Oh, you have never been there."_

_Then, she felt something heavy strike her, and she fell on the ground._

"_Mr. Dursley, Dudley, look at this! You won't believe what this snake is doing!" a mean-looking boy yelled, accidentally hitting her again, with his foot. _

_Ginny looked around for her family, they had seen none of it. They had separated to two groups, one near the monkeys, and the other near the lions, each thinking Ginny was with the other. A sudden sensation of hollowness and ignominy overwhelmed her._

_--_

_A seven year old Ginny looked wistfully from the window in her room as several redheads flew in the open skies. _

"_Girls can fly too," she said determinedly to herself. "I will show them!"_

_That night she snuck out of the house, and walked to the broom shed. "I can fly better than Ron!" she told herself, wiping her tears. She picked the lock with her hair pin, and cautiously, took out a broom. "I will learn to be better than Charlie!" she said firmly, putting the broom between legs, and kicked off._

_--_

Harry pulled back. "Merlin, I'm sorry, Ginny!" he said in horror. "I didn't mean to come so far…"

"Neither did I," she said quietly. Getting up, she gave a quick hug to Harry, and said sadly, "Next time keep your shields up, Harry. I'm so sorry." And she ran away.

In the toilet, she crouched on a corner, and cried.

--

"_Am I a bad boy, Moony?" a six year old Harry asked sadly._

_A haggard Remus Lupin looked curiously at the boy and asked, "Why do you say that, Harry? Have you done anything wrong?"_

"_I don't know," the boy replied in a small voice. "Daddy and Padfoot don't like me."_

"_Of course they do, Harry," Lupin said, troubled by the boy's response. "Is there a reason why you think they don't?"_

_The boy opened his mouth, but hesitated, and then he shook his head. _

_Lupin observed the boy carefully for a few moments, but when no response was forthcoming, he sighed. "Happy birthday, kid. I am sorry I couldn't bring anything for you or your brother… I…" he paused, uncertain of how to convey his poverty to a child, but he was interrupted when two thin hands flung around his waist. Harry's eyes gleamed with joy and he smiled widely, and Lupin patted his head in confusion. His reaction came as a stark contrast to his brother's. _

_Frowning, Lupin asked, "What present would you like, Harry? If I can, I will get it for you."_

_Without a second thought, the boy said, "Do you have a picture of my mummy?"_

_--_

"_What do you think you are doing, boy?" an angry James Potter yelled at his eight year old son. _

_Harry looked up, startled by his father's angry voice. Rarely did his father speak to him, but to hear his naked anger and contempt was even worse. He hurriedly pushed his snake friend away. _

"_A Parselmouth… in my family!" James exclaimed angrily, picking Harry up by the collar. He raised his fist in fury, but lost his resolve at the last moment. Dropping the boy, he said quietly, "Get out of my sight, and stay in your room!"_

_Harry scampered away in tears, ignoring the snort of disgust sent towards him by his godfather, Sirius Black. _

_--_

"_Why don't you understand, Harry?" a nine year old Jerry Potter sneered. "I am the boy-who-lived, and you are my insignificant twin. People will always look at me, and forget you. You are not needed here." He pushed Harry to the floor, and turned to his redhead friend. "Come on, Ron. Lets play Quidditch!"_

"_Jerry!" Harry called out woefully. "What about you? I don't care about others. I wanna play with my brother. You didn't used to be like this."_

_Jerry sighed, and turned to face his twin brother patronizingly. "That was a long time ago, before you turned dark with your Parseltongue. You are an embarrassment to the family, Harry! Dad said that, not me. Nobody wants the boy-who-lived to be seen with a snake such as you!" _

"_Mum would," Harry said quietly._

"_HOW DARE YOU!" his brother screamed. "How dare you talk of mum! If it weren't for you, she would still be alive!" He clenched his wrists, and started hitting his brother. Soon, Ron also joined in. _

_--_

Ginny was curled up in a ball, flooded with her tears and grief on feeling the grief of her new friend. Her own childhood, though with fleeting moments of loneliness and insecurities, was a fairy tale in comparison. She didn't even notice when Harry came to her, and patted her head. It was only when he put his arms around her that she saw him, and she clung to him tightly.

"H-How could they?" she sobbed. "They are s-supposed t-to be g-good people."

In a sad voice, Harry hesitated a moment, before shattering Ginny's view towards life, "Even good people can do bad things."

He took Ginny's hand, and patted it comfortingly. "My brother and I used to be close when we were very young. But our father and my godfather blamed me for mum's death. They never said that directly, but I knew. They never spoke to me of her, never allowed me to keep a picture of her… They even took away the muggle photograph my father's other friend gave me, after they discovered I was a Parselmouth." He sighed. "I wish I knew what happened, but nobody would tell me."

"How can they blame you?" Ginny asked angrily. "You were only a year old when… when…" she left the sentence lingering.

"When mum died," Harry finished. "I know, but that never stopped them. And after that day with the snake, they didn't even try to hide it anymore." He smiled sadly at Ginny's grief, and said, "I don't care about them anymore." He hesitated for a few seconds, but finally deciding, he said, "Come with me," and helped her up.

He took her to the bedroom, and to a portrait of lilies. Pointing his wand, he said, "Finite!"

Ginny gasped. The portrait disappeared, and in its place stood a tall mirror, with an ornate gold frame. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. She looked at Harry curiously.

"The Mirror of Erised," he explained. "That's _desire_ spelt backwards… I found it in an empty classroom at the end of last year, and took it away." He hesitated again, and stared at the mirror, smiling happily. Turning to Ginny, he said, "In it, I see the life I would have had with my mum. My greatest desire… do you want to have a look?"

Ginny looked uncertainly from Harry to the mirror, and took a step back. "Harry… I don't want to… I mean, I want to see your mum… but I don't want to see my..." She averted her gaze.

"Use Legilimency on me," Harry said without hesitation, without removing his eyes from the mirror. "She is smiling at you."

With shaking fingers, Ginny turned her wand towards Harry and hissed, _"Legilimens,"_ in Parseltongue, and her mind was flooded with images from Harry's.

Ginny couldn't help giggle. A beautiful woman with dazzling auburn hair held a gurgling baby in her arms. She looked at Ginny, and winked, pointing towards Harry. The baby was clearly Harry. She held him up, and gently kissed his forehead. Then she winked at Ginny again.

Ginny pulled herself out, and pulled Harry away. "It's beautiful, Harry," she said with a sigh. "She is beautiful. But…"

"It isn't real," Harry said sadly. "I know that. That's why I keep it hidden, and only look into it when I need to."

With a sudden smile, Ginny kissed Harry's cheek shyly.

"What was that for?" Harry asked in confusion, touching the spot where the redhead had just kissed him.

Blushing, Ginny said, "Not many people's greatest desire would be to see someone simply loving them…" Looking at Harry in a troubled way, she said, "I'm scared to know what mine would be."

They spent the rest of the evening strengthening Ginny's Occlumency, laughing and crying alternatively, at each other's memories, but with a greater sense of connection with each other. That night, they held each other to sleep.

--

"Stop here, Potter," an angry voice called out from the shadows.

Harry blinked. He was in the Second Floor corridor, and didn't expect anyone else to be following him. Fortunately, he hadn't entered the girls toilet as yet.

"We had warned you earlier," another came, and the two identical redheads came into sight, menacingly striding towards Harry.

"To keep a safe distance from Ginny."

"Imagine our surprise when we discover," said the one on the right.

"That you slept with her last night."

"Now, we know what happens in Slytherin house."

"But we don't appreciate our sister being…"

Without a hesitation, Harry touched his wand, without revealing it, and hissed, _"Legilimens!"_

As the twins continued their lengthy and angry tirade, he sieved through their memories to discover how they found out. He frowned on seeing an empty parchment, and then he nearly smiled. _The Marauder's Map._ He had heard his father speak of it to Jerry and the twins. What he hadn't expected was that the twins were sneaky enough to keep it a secret from their idols and Jerry. Perhaps, more Weasleys had Slytherin tendencies.

But the twins crossed the limit when they whipped their wands out.

In a sharp and angry tone, he snapped, "You fools! You may think you know what happens, but you have no way of preventing anything in the Dungeons! Hurt me now, and I am warning you, you will regret it."

He was found an hour later by McGonagall, sporting several painful curses and hexes.

"Ten points from Slytherin, Mr. Potter," she said icily, as she fixed him. "For an unprovoked attack on Gryffindor students. You should know better than to attack older students. I will expect an apology, and a thank you, for notifying me of your location, to Fred and George Weasley."

Throwing an ugly look at the supposedly stern but fair teacher, he nodded curtly, and returned to the Dungeons.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to all the wonderful reviewers.

I'm soon reaching a temporary crossroad that I'm not sure where to proceed. After a few chapters leading to the end of year 2, I have to find a way for Harry and Ginny to develop magically. The two options I have are -

1) to keep them where they are, and learn through Slytherin's Manuscript and other similar, less fantastical sources; or  
2) to send them to the past to the Founders' time, and return at the end of Year 4.

From there, the plot is rather fixed.

Any input?

**Chapter 4**

Ginny instantly realized that something had happened to Harry. He entered their room, and without so much as a greeting, walked straight to Slytherin's Tome.

"Harry?" she asked uncertainly.

Without responding, he muttered, _"Legilimens,"_ but instead of entering her mind, he brought her into his, showing her his earlier encounter with her brothers. When the events had played out, he released her, and returned to the manuscript. They had reached an agreement on using Legilimency and Occlumency on each other as a way of practicing their talents.

Slightly scared, Ginny asked hesitatingly, "You are not going to listen to them, are you?"

"Not a chance," Harry muttered, flicking through the pages. "A few hexes won't keep me away from the only friend I have."

Ginny sighed in relief. "I'm sorry, Harry," she said sadly. "They acted horribly. I trusted them to keep their promise."

"Not your fault," Harry muttered back, flicking through the pages. He said, "That map is useful. I want it. But until I get it, I will remove myself… and you, from it. Nobody will use it against me."

"What? How can you do that?" Ginny asked in bemusement.

"Father often told his son about it," he said plainly. "I think it was his intention for Jerry to make one for himself, as the original was supposed to be lost. But I don't think he's up to it. I know how the map detects our aura." Finding what he was looking for, he got up in triumph. "I will make a potion to mask our aura. That way we will vanish from the map."

Ginny frowned at Harry, and said, "If you are going to um… reclaim the map from them, why do you want to go through all this trouble?"

"Because, dear child," Harry said, with a sudden gleam of excitement in his eyes, "the first half of the potion is the same as the Animagus Potion. If we make enough of it, then by the end of this year, we will have our Animagus Forms revealed." Seeing Ginny's awed face, he said, "Of course, if you think it's too much trouble, we could…"

"We will make the potion!" Ginny stated firmly. "And never call me 'child' again!"

"Sure, child," Harry said playfully, ducking his head an instant before a hand came flying by. Chuckling, he grabbed her hand as it returned, and said, "Alright. I'm sorry."

Both returned to their individual work after that, but several minutes later, Ginny muttered something inaudible.

"Plotting a revenge, Ginny dear?" Harry asked. To his surprise, Ginny nodded.

Seeing the surprise on Harry's face, Ginny said with narrowed eyes, "If we are truly Slytherin, then we must do what a snake would, when somebody deliberately stepped on it."

Harry observed the determination on the girl's face, and said, "I apologize now, in case I ever step on you by accident, Ginny. You are scary."

"Idiot," she muttered playfully. "But I'll accept your apology if you replace my teddy bear."

"And how, pray, am I going to get a teddy bear while studying in Hogwarts?" Harry asked in confusion.

Shyly, Ginny said, "I meant… _you_ replace my teddy bear. I slept better last night than I can recall." Seeing Harry's astonished expression, she turned crimson and gulped. "I mean, not every night… sometimes… if I can… never mind." She got up, and turned around.

Harry grabbed her hand, and said, "Only if you promise never to call me Harry Bear." Thinking, he added, "And only if you take a shower before sleeping."

"Prat," she complained blushingly, and tearing her hand, ran away.

That night, Harry felt the warmth of Ginny snuggled against him. Quietly, he asked, "Have you made other friends in your year?" On receiving no response for a while, he decided Ginny must have fallen asleep, and closed his eyes. But then she spoke.

"No," she said. "There is a muggleborn girl in my year in our house. But she doesn't trust any Slytherins, and since I moved out of our dorm, she refuses to even look at me. Can we not do anything for her?"

"She can't come here," Harry said quietly, "if that's what you're asking. The Serpent in the Portrait will not allow it." Hearing Ginny sigh, he added, "I can summon a snake to guard her."

"Thanks, Harry," Ginny muttered sleepily. "You must teach me how to do that. G'nite."

--

Halloween came with a major shock to the entire school. The Caretaker Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, was found paralyzed. None knew how or why it happened, except that only a magically venomous creature could cause such a state. But the attack didn't really cause much anxiety to the students then.

Only a week after that, there was another attack, a double attack, which left the Weasley twins paralyzed. Then, panic spread like wildfire, and Harry found himself being escorted to the Headmaster's Office.

"It wasn't me," he declared, seeing the suspicious looks on the Deputy Headmistress' face, as she led him to Dumbledore's Office.

Entering the office, he was shocked to find his father also present, with a pained expression on his face. Sitting next to him were the two red haired adults, whom Harry assumed to be Ginny's parents. They both looked at him suspiciously.

"It wasn't me," he repeated.

"Nobody is blaming you, Mr. Potter. We just want to ask a few questions," Dumbledore said, twinkling serenely. "But please take a seat. Tea?" he poured a cup of tea, and handed it to the boy.

Harry looked at it suspiciously, but seeing the others drinking theirs, took a sip. Instantly, his mind became foggy. He tried fighting it with his Occlumency shields, but failed to hold back.

"Your name?" a voice floated through his awareness.

"Harry James Potter," his lips moved automatically.

"Are you a Parselmouth?"

"Yes."

"Are you behind the attack on Fred and George Weasley?"

"No."

"He lies!" McGonagall's voice pierced through his head painfully.

"Minerva," Dumbledore's peaceful voice rebuked. "Do you know anything about the attack on Fred and George Weasley?"

"No."

"Why did you draw your wand on them, unprovoked, a few weeks ago?"

"I didn't."

"See! The Veritaserum is not working on him," McGonagall hissed.

"You didn't?" Dumbledore said curiously. "What happened then?"

"They told me not to be friends with Ginny. They said I was a filthy snake, and I should stay away from her. Then they cursed me. An hour later, Professor McGonagall came and punished me."

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" asked Dumbledore curiously.

"Professor McGonagall wouldn't believe her Gryffindors to be capable of such a Slytherin act, and punish me for lying. Professor Snape would rebuke me for falling prey to Gryffindors, and punish me for being an insufferable Potter," Harry said calmly. "All the others would direct me to one of them."

Harry waited patiently for the next question, but none came. Instead, he felt a foul and warm liquid being poured through his lips, and slowly, his vision cleared. He blinked a few times, and got up quietly. The fogginess had cleared, but the shame of being violated and deceived lingered. The Headmaster was looking at him regretfully, while McGonagall was staring at the ground, her cheeks tinged with shame. He turned to his father and the Weasleys, all of whom also refused to meet his gaze.

"Though I despise him, I think I understand Professor Snape better now," he whispered, and left.

Ginny saw Harry enter the room, shaking with anger and anguish, and instantly rushed to him. When he signaled for her to read his mind, she did that. Moments later, she was fuming as well. "How dare they!" Then her face shadowed, and she said, "You think I did it?"

"Did you?" Harry asked quietly.

"NO! How can you even…" she screamed, but was stopped when Harry covered her mouth with his palm.

"I believe you," he said. "So what were you planning for revenge?"

"Nothing like this," Ginny said emphatically. "I was learning a delayed color change charm. Gryffindor fourth years have Potions after us, and a red haired Professor Snape wouldn't have to think twice before deciding who was to blame." She giggled, but seeing Harry's pained expression, she became serious again. "But how could they do that? Why couldn't they just ask you?"

"I'm a Slytherin Parselmouth, remember?" Harry said. "And there's a venomous monster on the loose. Who else could it be?" When Ginny looked at him sadly, Harry added, "Narrow minded fools. But I wish I knew what the monster was."

"Why?" Ginny asked curiously.

"It has got my familiar in a frenzy," he said. "It is a good thing she is bound to obey my order, or this Castle would have been a litter of corpses by now."

Ginny shuddered. Harry had taken her to the Chamber of Secrets the night Mrs. Norris had been attacked, and introduced her to Selena, Slytherin's Basilisk, now Harry Potter's. They had spent the entire evening talking there, and were sure of each other's innocence in the attack, including the Basilisk's. But the staff didn't seem so keen to dismiss the Slytherin Potter so easily, especially since he wasn't present during the first attack, and had reason to hold a grudge against the next victims.

"What hurts most," Harry said, "is not that they don't like me. But how could my own father be so callous in believing I would have willingly attacked other students?" He shook his head, and closed the Tome shut. "Sometimes I wish, I could simply leave Hogwarts, and finish my education elsewhere."

"You would leave me alone," Ginny noted.

"You could come with me," Harry said quietly. "If I could leave Hogwarts this instant, Gin, would you come with me?"

Ginny looked troubled. After hesitating, she replied, "I think… I would… I wouldn't want to… I would try to convince myself to stay, but I think I'd go with you." Holding her breath, she asked, "You're not planning to leave, are you, Harry?"

Harry chuckled. "Where would I go? I'm the boy-who-lived's Slytherin twin brother, remember? There is no place for me anywhere, except in this room."

"And with me," Ginny muttered quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for all the help and comments. I think I know where this story is headed towards in the interim. If I'm allowed to stop being modest for a moment, I'd say it's a brilliant idea. Not sure if I can pull it off properly, but I will try. It should come sometime in the next few chapters.

**Chapter 5**

Harry woke up in a daze. Groggily, he searched for his glasses. It wasn't on his bedside table. In fact, he didn't have a bedside table. Panicking, he sat up, and groaned in pain. It felt as if a dagger was searing through every single muscle in his body.

"What are you doing!" a woman shrieked. "Get back on bed!"

Harry turned to her, and blinked. Squinting his eyes, he barely made out the visage of Poppy Pomfrey. "My glasses?" he whispered, and gasped in pain. He rubbed his throat gently.

"Here," Madam Pomfrey handed him his glasses. "Now, back to your bed!"

Harry looked around. He was in the Hospital Wing. "But why?" he asked himself. "What happened?"

"You were attacked," said the nurse. She had started running a diagnostic on him, and shoved a vial of potion under his nose. "Drink that. It will ease the sudden pressure load on your muscles. Two months of inactivity, and then jumping around like a monkey can cause a lot of pain."

"Two months?" Harry asked in disbelief. "I've been here for two months?"

"Indeed you have," the nurse huffed. "What do you expect would happen after being bitten several times by Merlin-alone-knows-what foul beast! The venom paralyzed your entire body functions, including your brain." She finished her check-up, and said, "Well, you are almost fixed, but a couple of days more in this ward will do you no harm. At least you won't be alone."

"Who else were attacked?" Harry asked.

"After the Weasley twins, it was yourself and a Ravenclaw prefect. Then a first year from Gryffindor," she muttered, shaking her head. "But the biggest tragedy only occurred an hour ago. A Slytherin first year was taken! Her bag and robes were found next to a paralyzed Gryffindor girl."

Harry's eyes widened. Fearfully, he uttered, "N-Not…"

"Where is he?" a voice shouted, and several people came running in. The Headmaster was at the front, followed by Snape, McGonagall, Arthur Weasley and a silver-haired man, who was clearly a Malfoy.

"Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said in relief. "It is a relief to see you awake. As Poppy was…"

Harry didn't hear him speak. His eyes were fixed on Arthur Weasley. With apprehension, he asked, "Please… not Ginny."

For a moment, everyone froze at the fear in his voice. Then Dumbledore sighed. "Unfortunately, Miss Weasley has completely vanished. We were hoping you could tell us if you saw anything. If you remember what happened before you were attacked."

"I didn't even know I was attacked," Harry said worriedly. "All I remember is," he frowned. "Lockhart's class… no… that was in the morning… I had lunch…" He shook his head. "That's all I remember."

"You attended History of Magic after lunch," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "It is like the rest of them. Loss of memory for hours up to the attack." He turned to Harry gravely, and said, "Rest well, dear boy. We will search for your friend."

In a daze, Harry managed to nod. He waited patiently, counting numbers in his head. The teachers left. Madam Pomfrey looked at him carefully, but he merely waited. Finally, she said, "You are to stay in bed, Mr. Potter," and left.

Then Harry got up, and reached for his wand, which was kept at the foot of his bed. He slowly took a step. It hurt, but he took another step. It took nearly five minutes to reach the door from his bed, a walk of twenty meters. And then he was breathless.

Outside, he saw Filch lingering around, trying to appear inconspicuous. Sighing, he touched his wand and hissed quietly, _"Legilimens!"_ He saw in the Caretaker's mind that he was convinced that the Slytherin Parselmouth was to blame for the attacks, and would tail him. Sighing, Harry got back on his bed, and hissed, _"Serpensortia!"_

A tiny green viper appeared, and Harry hissed again,_ "Illuso!"_ The green snake shrunk in size, and to all appearances was a fast moving worm.

_"Legilimens!"_

Closing his eyes, he allowed his awareness to spread completely through the snake. He steered the snake out of the room through the crack beneath a window, and coursed it towards the Chamber of Secrets. On reaching the kitchen sink of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, he hissed through the viper's mouth, _"Open!"_

He proceeded down the tunnel, and to the stone face of Slytherin, and hissed again, _"Speak to me, Slytherin!"_

He waited patiently for a few minutes before the Basilisk appeared. The Basilisk had no doubt in its mind whom she was facing.

"_Massster," _she hissed. _"You have tarried."_

"_I was attacked by a monster. I was in coma," _Harry hissed back irritably. _"Tell me now, what creature haunts this Castle?"_

"_We are not permitted to speak of that abomination," _the Basilisk said regretfully. Then, before Harry could explode in anger, she hissed, _"The spidersss are breeding."_

Harry frowned. Then his eyes flashed with realization. _"Acromantula venom!"_ he hissed through the viper's mouth. When the Basilisk merely hissed in disgust, Harry said, _"Selena, they have captured Ginny. I need your help to rescue her."_ Before parting from the viper's mind, Harry concluded, _"You will feast on Acromantula eggs tonight."_

He jumped out of the bed, the fear of an Acromantula tearing Ginny's flesh apart providing him with a surplus of energy. He cast a stunner on Filch to avoid detection, and ran towards the Chamber of Secrets. In less than ten minutes, he was facing the most dreaded monster of legends, a Basilisk, and was easing his nerves to face the Basilisk's mortal foe.

Touching Selena's head, he climbed on her back. Wrapping his arm around her gigantic neck, he hissed. _"The time has come, my friend, for us to hunt together." _With a final combined hiss, both serpent and master surged through the tunnel.

--

Ginny shivered. As tears streaked through her cheek, she pleaded one last time, "Please. Let me go."

The monstrous elephant-sized eight legged beast lashed at her with one of its legs, like a birch rod, and hit her across the face. "Silence," it croaked. "You converse with the Ancient One! You are our foe!"

Ginny sniffed. The pain that seared through her face was beyond anything she had ever felt before. She could barely hear the words of the Acromantula. But she struggled, despite being securely bound in spider silk.

"I mean you no harm," she whimpered.

"You are our foe," the monster croaked. "My children will feast on your flesh, and soak their hunger in your blood."

Ginny sobbed. The past two months had been terrible for her. Since Harry's attack, she had entirely withdrawn from everything. The only time when she would be remotely able to focus long enough was in the Medical Wing, sitting next to Harry. And now she was certain she would die. She sobbed, recalling Harry's face.

As the Acromantula strode over her, she sobbed, "I miss you, Harry…" and when two hairy spindly limbs rose, she closed her eyes, and screamed, "I love you, Harry!" and waited for the fatal blow to fall on her. And waited. Nothing came, except a dull thud. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and saw in wonder. The Acromantula was on its back, limp, lifeless. For a long moment, there was silence. And then the hundreds of carthorse sized spiders scampered away in all directions, but one by one, each fell down limp, as a huge dark mass slithered around, through the trees.

Ginny struggled to be free of her binds, but to no avail. "Help!" she screamed. "I'm here! Help!" And then a figure walked towards her, limping, and dragging himself as if walking itself was painful. She squinted her eyes to have a better look of her protector, and felt a surge of warmth through her body.

"Harry," she whispered.

"Diffindo," he cut the bonds that stuck her hand and feet apart, and then with his fingers. Looking at her tenderly, he gasped for breath, and fell to the ground. "Ginny, you're safe," he cried. "I saw… I thought…"

"Harry!" she cried, and flung her arms around him. Cradling the weeping boy's head in her arms, she moaned, "I'm here, Harry." She stroked his hair, and kissed the top of his head. "You're back."

Harry wiped his eyes, and looked at Ginny's face. With trembling fingers, he touched her cheek, wiping the blood that oozed out of the wound from the Acromantula. "Episkey," he muttered, raising his wand, to stop the bleeding.

Together, they got up, and helped each other to the Castle, leaning against each other, magically dragging the Acromantula corpses behind them.

When they reached the edge of the forest, they saw a flurry of activity around them. Apparently, someone had seen them from a window and notified the staff. Dumbledore was in front, with a stern looking woman, the Minister of Magic and Malfoy. Behind them were the other staff members of Hogwarts, Arthur Weasley and James Potter.

In horrified silence, they saw the two children stagger forward, a litter of Acromantula corpses following them.

"Aragog!" a booming voice yelled, and the Gatekeeper of Hogwarts, Rubeus Hagrid ran towards the largest Acromantula, the one which had wounded Ginny. Harry put his arm around Ginny protectively, fearful that the half-giant who loved his brother and father might suddenly attack them.

By then, the others had been roused out of their shock, and the Weasleys ran to their daughter. Harry avoided their platitudes, and walked to Dumbledore and the Minister.

"You have your attacker over their, Headmaster," Harry said coldly. "What kind of fool raises Acromantula near a school of students," he hissed.

"Acromantula Venom," said Snape. "Of course! When feeding on human blood, it induces deep paralysis." Looking at Harry suspiciously, he asked, "How did you know where to go? And how in Merlin's name did you manage to return?"

Before Harry could retort angrily, the stern woman interrupted, "Look at their condition, Severus! Let Poppy look after them first." She looked sadly at Harry, and turned to Ginny, who apart from several bruises and cuts, including the deep gash on her cheek, was quite alright. It was Harry, who seemed to be having trouble even walking. Harry looked at her suspiciously, through narrowed eyes.

But then her attention was diverted to the conversation between Dumbledore and Minister Fudge.

Fudge was saying, "Look here, Dumbledore. That man has to go. You heard what the boy said. Acromantula, for Merlin's Sake, and not even one, but dozens!"

"I trust Hagrid," Dumbledore said calmly. "His heart is in the right place."

The stern looking witch walked to Dumbledore and frowned. "I'm not disagreeing with that completely insignificant statement, Albus. Cornelius is right in this. Open your eyes, you are the Headmaster of a school of students. Why do you insist on making this a refuge for…" her eyes flickered towards the Potions Master, but she shook her head, and turned to Hagrid. "I'm sorry, Hagrid. I have a few questions for you, to determine whether you had any malicious intentions. If your answers are unsatisfactory, this will be done under Veritaserum."

All through this, Hagrid was lying on the ground, crouched near the giant Aragog, weeping.

"Amelia, can't you see he is grieving for a friend," James Potter said. "Can't we do this later?"

"Do not question my authority, James!" the woman called Amelia snapped. Turning to a highly reproachful McGonagall, she snapped, "I'm not sure if you care about your students' safety, Minerva! But I do care about my niece's! So, I would appreciate if you turn your disapproving glare where it is due." She waited silently as her orders were carried out. It appeared that even the Minister of Magic was in awe of the woman.

But it was Dumbledore who started asking the questions.

"Why were you expelled from Hogwarts?"

"I was framed by that no-good Tom Riddle. I didn't open the Chamber of Secrets, did I? Aragog never killed no one."

"How did you get Aragog?"

"A traveler gave him to me, when he was just an egg," he sniffed as he said, looking at the dead Acromantula.

"Did you intend to hurt anyone with Aragog, Hagrid?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"No, Professor Dumbledore, sir! Yeh know me, I never meant no harm," Hagrid said emphatically.

Dumbledore turned around and said, "As we can see, there was no malice intended. Hagrid is free of any crime."

The blonde haired Malfoy laughed. "You call that an interrogation? Are you a fool, Dumbledore? Madam Bones, will you take over, or shall I?"

Glaring at both men, the woman turned to Hagrid and said, "Did you know the harm that an Acromantula could have caused to your fellow students?"

"Aragog wouldn't 've hurt anyone," Hagrid said indignantly.

"What do you call all the attacks that have taken place this year then," Malfoy sneered, but acknowledged Madam Bones' rebuking glare.

"Were you concerned about the safety of students who might venture to the Forbidden Forest?" the woman asked firmly, but her eyes glinted with high restraint.

"I dun understand."

She took a deep breath and asked, "Were you ever concerned that the Acromantula might have hurt a student?"

"Aragog wouldn't 've hurt anyone," Hagrid repeated, shaking his head. "He's a dear. I even found him his mate… Mosag."

"Have you brought any other dangerous creatures to the school?" Malfoy asked, with an evil smile. "Like… a dragon, for instance. A Norwegian Ridgeback, to be specific, by the name of Norbert."

Hagrid's expression was a succinct answer, but Malfoy wasn't done. "A Cerberus, perhaps?"

"Enough, Lucius!" Amelia snapped. "I am dealing with this." She turned around, and seeing Harry and Ginny still present, nearly erupted like a volcano. "Are you people out of your mind? I told you to take these children for medical attention." Shaking her head, she muttered, "Is this a school or a mental asylum."


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for the reviews, especially the ones that answered my questions. This chapter marks an important transition. I hope you like it, and I'd appreciate your comments.

**Chapter 6**

Ginny's final glance was at Harry. He was sleeping, fatigue having overwhelmed him the instant they returned to the Hospital Wing. He didn't even acknowledge Madam Pomfrey furious reprimand as he slunk to a bed. They had both been given Dreamless Sleep potion instantly, after a quick diagnostic.

When Ginny woke up, she saw Harry was still asleep, but her father was sitting beside her bed. She looked around to see if there were others, and was disappointed to find only Madam Pomfrey, busy in her office.

"Mum didn't come?" she asked her father nervously.

"She was here," Arthur said with a sigh. Darting a glance at the sleeping boy, he said quietly, "I didn't think it wise for her to be near your young friend when he woke up." Shaking his head, he explained, "Your brothers told her some rather nasty things about him."

Ginny drew a sharp breath, and said, "You heard him for yourself, dad! You had him questioned under Veritaserum! You know…"

"I know, sweetheart," Arthur said sadly. "I saw how concerned he was for you when he got out of his coma. But you must try to understand your family's fear, Ginny. He is a Parselmouth after all. Merlin knows how he killed all those monsters!"

Ginny gasped. She recoiled from her father in horror. "Please tell me you were joking, daddy." She moved away from her father, and shouted, "Go away!"

"Sweetheart!"

"Harry saved my life," she sobbed. "And all you're worried about is how he killed a monster that was about to eat me? And his being a Parselmouth? What happened to all those things you used to tell us - not to be narrow-minded like other purebloods? You are just like the rest of them… only you try to convince yourself that you aren't… please go away…" When her father didn't move, she turned to him venomously. "Guess what, father! I'm an evil Parselmouth too," and hissed, _"Go away!" _and began wailing.

Both Arthur Weasley and Poppy Pomfrey stared at her, aghast. But Poppy moved first. Seeing Ginny become hysterical, she held her tenderly, and told her father, "Leave her for now, Arthur. Come back later."

As her father slowly departed, Ginny shook herself out of Madam Pomfrey's embrace, and walked to Harry's bed. The boy was snoring softly, but Ginny had seen the dampness around his eyes. She nudged him, saying, "I know you're not sleeping, Harry. Please don't cry alone."

At that, Harry got up and pressed his head against Ginny, allowing her to comfort him. "He didn't even come to see if I was fine. Not even once. He left with the Minister," he wept quietly. "Jerry didn't come either."

Ginny closed her eyes in sadness. Her mind was truly in a turmoil, for herself and for Harry. Soon, she felt another thick arm come around them both, and opened her eyes to see Madam Pomfrey.

"I don't make a habit of hugging my patients," she said quietly. "If I didn't know James personally, I would suspect something truly horrible in your family life, Mr. Potter… Harry… I am sure he is busy at work… but you both need to understand that not all adults are like your parents."

"Only the ones I know personally," Harry muttered, and rolled aside, ignoring Madam Pomfrey's hurt expression. He picked up a vial of Dreamless Sleep potion, and drank it.

--

Ginny woke up, and turned towards Harry's bed. Not finding him there, she got up. "Where's Harry?" she asked the nurse.

"Mr. Potter was discharged a while ago, and I believe he went to his dorm to take a shower," she said kindly. "You are free to leave when you so desire, Miss Weasley." Softly, she added, "Your father was here again last night. I think he regrets his words."

"He should have known better, like you did," Ginny muttered, hugging the nurse for her support. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."

She walked briskly towards the Slytherin Dungeons, and ignoring all the curious glances and questions thrown at her, she walked to the Serpent Portrait, and hissed, _"Open."_

Leaping in, she smiled weakly at the sight of Harry staring dreamily at the Mirror of Erised, with his head tilted to one side. She walked up to him silently, and hugged him from behind. "What do you see?" she asked.

He patted her hand, where it merged above his stomach, and said, "Mum. She is playing with a small child on a swing, laughing and squealing with joy…" he paused for a few seconds, and said, "Now they are playing with balloons. There's another girl with them. I think it's you… Do you want to see in my mind?"

"No," Ginny shook her head against his back. "Keep talking," she said quietly, her eyes were closed.

He rested his hand on top of hers, and continued, "The two little children have grown up… they look just like us, but older… they are running around in a garden, playing with a big cat of some sort… they are in a dark room now and… um… never mind… now they are running towards something…" He blinked. "The vision disappeared!" he complained distressfully, and took a step closer, dragging Ginny with him. Then he sighed in relief. "Mum is back… she is smiling at us… she is beckoning…" Harry faltered, staring at the mirror in disbelief.

"Beckoning where, Harry?" Ginny asked curiously, after nearly a minute of silence.

With a smile, Harry turned to Ginny, and said, "Will you come with me?" His smile deepened on seeing Ginny's peaceful face, leaning against him with her eyes closed.

"Huh?" Ginny said, baffled. She opened her eyes, and saw Harry looking at her intently.

"You once said, you'd come with me if I could leave Hogwarts," Harry said quietly. With trembling lips, he asked, "Will you come with me?"

"Leave?" Ginny asked hesitatingly. "Harry, I don't understand."

Harry took Ginny's shoulder, and brought her to face the mirror.

Ginny gasped. She wasn't standing close enough to see her greatest desire, but even if she were, she wouldn't be able to see it anymore. For the mirror was no longer a panel of reflecting glass. It was a vortex of colors and energies, and in the distance could be seen a smiling red haired woman, beckoning. Not an image, not a reflection, but a real, live woman, standing behind the portal.

"Harry…" Ginny began uncertainly.

"You don't have to," Harry said quietly, but unable to keep out the dejection from his voice. "You can stay, Ginny. But I must go." He looked towards the woman, and waved. Then he turned to Ginny, and hugged her tightly. "You're my best friend. I heard what you said in the forest, Gin, and I love you too. But I must go. My mum is calling me." With a final sad smile, he turned towards the portal, when he felt small fingers slip into his hand.

Ginny looked at him resolutely. "I told you I would go. I'm not sure where you're going, but I'm going with you."

"What about your family?" Harry asked quietly, and though his heart was leaping with joy, he knew he had to ask that.

"I'm with him," she replied. "Since my first night here, we have been two lone serpents, shunned and scorned by everyone else, looking after each other. We belong together. Lets go."

With a happy smile, Harry climbed into the portal. A hollow sensation hit his gut like a massive blow, but he held Ginny's hand tightly, and walked further. Until, stumbling, he fell to the ground with a thud.

Ginny giggled, having crossed the portal with much more grace, and she helped Harry up. But she wasn't the only one. A slender hand reached for Harry's arm, and gently lifted him up.

Harry's gaze traveled from the hand that helped him up, to the body, and to the face. His gaze stopped at the eyes. He gasped. It was like staring at a mirror. "M-Mum?" he hazarded breathlessly. The smiling woman nodded slowly, reaching for Harry's face. Reaching down, she kissed his forehead. That was more than what Harry could take, and he collapsed in her arms, overwhelmed with tears. "Mumm," he moaned, throwing his arms around her, and clutching her close to him.

The woman smiled sadly, gently wiping the tears on the boy's face, and kissed his cheek. Then, seeing Harry's eyes dart towards Ginny, she reached for girl, and pulled her closer as well, and kissed her forehead.

After a long squeeze, she finally spoke, "I am so sorry, son." Her voice was filled with grief, but Harry smiled. To him it was music. The woman understood. Turning to Ginny, she said, "My name is Lilith Ravenclaw, and welcome to Hogwarts, in the year 988."

"What?" Harry yelled in disbelief, while Ginny drew back in confusion.

Lilith laughed daintily, and ruffled Harry's messy head. "Do not worry, my little Harry," she hugged him again. Then she took both children's hand in hers, and led them away. "You are home now, and with whom you belong."

It was then that Harry and Ginny realized that they weren't the only people present in the room. There were several spectators, looking at them with joy and in some cases, tears.

"Harry, say hello to Grandma Rowena," Lilith said, pointing towards a slender witch with dark hair, streaked with strands of grey. "And that ugly old man there is your great uncle Salazar! Cousin Helga, and our dear friend, Godric."

Harry gaped at them, and turned to Ginny, who was as flabbergasted as him. They turned uncertainly to the red haired woman closest to them. All the older people in the room laughed merrily at the confusion and incredulity on the children's faces.

The older man introduced as Salazar Slytherin walked closer, and bowed. _"I believe you have had an adventure with my, or should I say our, familiar… Well met, young Serpents!"_

Ginny gasped, and turned to Harry. "We're with the Founders," she stated plainly, and fainted.

--

**Footnotes:** An explanation about Lily's survival and time travel will be given in the coming chapter(s). It would have some relation to why James blames Harry for Lily's death, though Jerry is the bwl.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

When her consciousness returned, Ginny's senses were filled with excruciating pain. She gasped out in pain.

"And what do you expect, young lady, if you faint in my presence, and then simple diagnostic spells reveal traces of Acromantula venom still dripping in your bloodstream!" a matronly voice protested. "But do not fear, the venom is gone and the pain will fade away the longer you stay awake."

Ginny turned to the speaker and couldn't help but smile. A matronly looking middle aged woman with golden hair looked at her with narrowed eyes. She recognized that expression only too well. Here was Madam Pomfrey's original version.

"Lady Helga?" she recalled from earlier. "It is true, then. We are with the Founders."

"Indeed you are, though people haven't started calling us that yet!" the woman exclaimed. "And you are going to stay in that bed until the potion's effects are completed. I know your face, young lady," she wriggled her finger in protest. "It is the face that plots to escape my clutches the instant my back is turned." She huffed in a pretense of annoyance.

Grinning, Ginny asked, "Where is Harry?"

"Your friend is fine," she said. "He is currently with his mother, though he showed little inclination to leave your side, at first." Sighing, she said, "But his wounds are such that cannot be healed by me."

"I know," Ginny said quietly.

"Ginny!"

She smiled when Harry came running to her bedside. His face had a broad and happy smile that lifted her spirits. For the first time since they had met, she saw him truly happy. Behind him, walked Lilith.

"You are up," Harry said, giving her a quick hug.

"Harry," Ginny began. She looked at the beautiful Lilith Ravenclaw and said, "Ma'am… how?"

Lilith laughed gently and kissed Ginny's forehead. "Call me Lilith, and do not worry how, child. You will not understand if I tried to explain the mechanics but someday you will."

Soon after, Ginny felt drowsy again and Helga made Harry go away.

--

"Mum, why did you leave us?" Harry asked curiously. He was sitting with Lilith on a three-seat swing in the open courtyard of the castle.

The woman sighed and putting her arm around her son, brought her closer. "Believe me, son, that the only thing harder I've ever done than leave you and your brother behind was to continually look at you through the mirror and see how you suffered, and yet be able to do nothing." She lowered her face and kissed her son's head. "I do not know if I can ever forgive myself."

In response, Harry snuggled against her and said sorrowfully, "Please don't be sad." Then, he raised his head suddenly and said, "You saw? Did you see me save Ginny?"

Lilith laughed lightly despite becoming pale. She patted Harry's head. "My son, I am so proud of you." And then the two of them enjoyed each other's company in silence.

The next day, Harry and Ginny found themselves in the presence of the regal Rowena Ravenclaw. Ginny had finally been released from Lady Helga's care, and they began exploring the castle. It was much different from how it would become a thousand years in the future. It was more of a fortress than a school, solemn and less lively but magnificent and graceful.

As they wandered around in the castle, Lady Rowena waved at them. Her long hair held back with an elegant diadem, she smiled at the two children and beckoned them to follow her, leading them to her study. Lilith was sitting behind several thick rolls of parchment and Salazar was looking at the skies through the window.

"The clouds are grey with ominous tidings," Salazar said mystically, turning around. His eyes were rolled up and his robes billowed without any wind. "War brews, the Danes arrive with their bone-clad mages. Between the Danish and the Church, Hogwarts will remain the last bastion of hope for the withering Celtic druids. Sweyn Forkbeard has sent his father to exile and his sight falls on these shores. It is most unfortunate… for King Aethelred is unready."

"Stop it, Salazar," Rowena scolded lightly. "You are scaring the children." She turned to Ginny, who was firmly latching on to Harry's hand, and said, "Do not let that charlatan bother you."

"Well, pardon me for being a conduit between the ethereal and mortal realms," said Salazar with a dignified huff. "And delivering a fair warning for the terrible days that await us. Now if you will excuse me, I will prepare my lesson plans while you tell these children what I expect of them."

"What?" Ginny breathed out as she watched Salazar gracefully slide out of the study. She clutched Harry's hand in awe and whispered, "The Founders wish to teach us?"

Smiling widely, Rowena said, "We haven't founded anything as yet, child, but it is most certainly a matter of time before the school is established. Do call me Lady Rowena until you feel familiar enough to drop the title."

"Yes, Lady Rowena," both chorused instantly, looking at her eagerly.

She beckoned for both children to take a seat. Harry promptly grabbed Ginny's hand and took the seat next to Lilith.

Laughing in her dainty manner, Lilith touched both children's cheek and said, "There is a reason why you have been brought to us, children, and we will reveal that to you when you are older. No, Harry, do not look at me like that. I know what you have been through, and I am telling you, you are not yet ready to know. Until you are, the five of us will teach you much of what we know."

The two youngsters looked in awe and nodded gratefully.

Rowena took over from her daughter and said, "In that case, children, from tomorrow onwards, you will begin your day with Godric. He will train you physically and with weapons. When he has made you weary and sweaty, you will come to us here, and we will read all kinds of things. After lunch, Helga will take you. She… has several specialties but I will let her talk about them in her own… unique manner. Finally, Salazar will teach you much about Mind Magic and Runes."

Lilith spoke then. "The Mirror of Erised works in a manner much more profound than what you believe. To those with strong will and sufficient knowledge of arcane magic, it shows you your heart's every desire. It shows you what you wish to see, that which has been, that which is, and that which might be. I have seen much of what you both have suffered, and I know trust will not come easily to you. But I want you to try." She looked sadly at Harry. "Please son, try and trust all of us."

"I don't know what to say," Harry said after a few seconds of silence, overwhelmed by their kindness. He turned to Ginny, who was feeling much the same. Seeing a drop of tear running along her cheek, he instinctively, wiped it with his finger.

"Lady Rowena, Lilith… we never expected anyone to… care," she whispered quietly, smiling weakly at Harry. "How can we repay you for this kindness?"

"Don't be foolish, child," Rowena said good-naturedly, hiding her sorrow at the children's reactions. "It is our duty as adults to look after you, and to make amends for your ordeals." Then she smiled at them and said, "Run along now, children. Your wings need stretching, and your hearts uplifting. Later, the imps will show you to your room, Ginny, you need not stay in Helga's ward anymore."

--

Harry and Ginny walked around the lake. It was a pleasant day, cool but sunny. A gentle breeze blew around as the two walked, hand in hand.

"It's so different," Ginny finally said. "So similar, and yet so different."

Harry nodded. He gazed at the grounds, wild and untamed, and stopped. Turning to Ginny, he asked simply, "Do you not miss your family? Do you regret coming?"

With a sad smile, Ginny said, "How could I let you go alone, Harry?"

Shaking his head, Harry asked, "Is it because I saved your life? I don't want you to feel indebted to me."

Ginny froze and turned to Harry in disbelief. "Is that what you've been thinking all along? That I came because of a debt? Turning to Harry in tears, she slapped him. "Was it a lie when you said you…" Then turning around, she ran away from him.

Harry looked at her in a daze, and without any hesitation, followed after her. He was faster, and reaching her, he grabbed Ginny's waist. "Don't," he begged. "Don't leave me."

Hearing his desperation, Ginny faltered and turned around, only to be seized in a hug. She blinked, when Harry's head fell on her shoulder. He was shaking with fear and she held him tightly.

"Don't leave me," he repeated again. "I was wrong to say what I did. It wasn't a lie… I think it wasn't. But I don't know… I've never really known what it is like to love someone…"

Ginny stroked his back sadly. His words and voice was full of misery. "Nobody truly knows, Harry," she whispered. "Do not worry, I don't expect anything from you in return."

Harry pulled himself up and smiled warmly. "I know, Gin." Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek, making her shiver.


	8. Chapter 8

First, I'd like to thank Minstrel Knight to help me with the lines about magical theory. Someone sent me a pm that my writing style was similar to his, which naturally got me highly intrigued, and I'm a big fan of his stories now. In one of his stories there was a short description which was exactly what I needed, and he helped me change it somewhat to suit my own story. Thanks again.

Sorry to those who don't like the incursion to the Founders. But unfortunately, they are already there, and I can't change it now. Not that I want to.

I was a bit disappointed that nobody noticed my nifty use of Aethelred the Unready's title as part of the prophecy. Oh, I suppose history is really losing its appeal these days. Not that I know a lot myself.

This chapter is a bit longer than my average, but I suppose after the great delay, I owed it to you guys.

Now finally, the reason for the delay - I was abducted by aliens. Uh… I mean, I was drafted into the military. No, just kidding. It was the killer tomatoes who got me. Nah. I was just too lazy to write. Found some really great fics and have been busy reading rather than writing.

**Chapter 8**

As the days went by, both Harry and Ginny settled down to the schedule made by Lady Rowena. Mornings with Godric Gryffindor were fun but weary for both of them. At first, the golden haired wizard had intended to work with different routines for Harry and Ginny, but after an intense five minutes of rather loud verbal argument with an irate little redhead Godric was clever enough to dispel any notions of gender bias still prevalent in his time.

In the end, Godric muttered to an amused Harry, "Perhaps weaker regimes ought to be used for men instead."

They started early, before the sun was out and by seven they would have finished running a couple of laps of the lake and started with other exercises. After a quick and light breakfast, Godric would then train them with swords.

"Magical swords," Godric had said during his first lesson, "are an adequate replacement for wands. My sword has several cores inside it and I rarely require any other magical conductor." Suddenly he unsheathed his sword with swift grace and pointed it to a big boulder and flicked it up. The boulder rose several feet high, following the motion of the sword.

Godric released the boulder with an outward jerk of his wrists, sending it flying a few feet in the distance. "But to wield a magical weapon solely as a conductor is foolish," he said with a laugh. "I mean, why use a sword which could severely injure you when an ordinary wooden stick would do." He looked at the two, as if expecting a response.

"It can be used as a secondary weapon?" Harry suggested.

"Exactly, my boy," Godric said, pleased with the response. "A sword is a sword after all. Many wizards forget, or are completely incapable of defending themselves against such an attack."

After that, he made them practice basic techniques with wooden swords.

--

Lessons with Rowena and Lilith were a complete contrast. Both Harry and Ginny had expected it to be dull and full of theoretical knowledge, but had been surprised when Rowena suddenly told them to stop reading barely after they started with the first book.

"So, what is magic?" she asked.

"Is it… power? control?" Harry replied.

"Vision… intent?" Ginny offered.

Laughing, Rowena nodded. "All of them, and yet none. Magic is nothing but the power of your imagination brought to life with your vision and intended to control the material world around you."

Then started a debate on the best dynamics for any magical spell to use.

"You, Harry, would try to bend this needle to your will with force to change it to a matchstick, wouldn't you?" When Harry nodded, she turned to Ginny and said, "While you, my dear, would try to view this needle as a matchstick and subtly picture it to change. Lilith, will you explain?"

"A farmer's field of several acres," Lilith said with a wave of her hand. The table in front of her acquired an illusion of a large field with crops planted, "his back garden and his wife's potted mint plant." With two more waves, she brought those two images on the table as well. "You, Harry, would try to fall on all three like a thunderstorm to submerge them utterly, while Ginny would seek to soak them with a vial of clear water, one at a time. As you can very well imagine, neither of you would fare very well in all three cases. There are times when you would rather rage as a river, times when you drizzle bit by bit, and times when you combine the two. There is much you can learn, children, from each other and from the books around you with just that knowledge. Choose what you wish to read of your own accord."

Then as suddenly as she had started, she sat back with her eyes fixed on her own work, leaving the two children with their books. Shrugging, Harry and Ginny got up and searched the library for books that caught their interest. In all, it seemed a much better way to learn.

Within minutes, Harry returned with a book on magical creatures and Ginny with a book on magical modes of transportation and communication. Lilith gazed from above her books and smiled. She had guessed correctly. The only thing she feared was his reaction when he reached the section on reptiles, and she wasn't mistaken. If anything, she was impressed that he chose to read in order, instead of going straight to the section on Parselmouths.

"WHAT!" Harry bellowed with anger. "How dare they!"

Ginny jumped up, and turned to Harry in concern, as he seethed in rage. Lilith looked at him sadly, but didn't say anything.

"Parseltongue is one of the purest forms of magic documented, right after the Patronus Charm and Animagus transformation," Harry said in a monotone. "It is a means of communication with reptiles of all kinds - snakes, turtles, lizards, a means of getting closer to nature, which is essentially the only kind of magic that can be considered Light Magic. This book written by Rowena and Lilith Ravenclaw extols a Parselmouth and urges him to use his gift in understanding the mysteries of nature."

_'Relax, Harry,'_ a soothing voice said.

"How can I relax, Ginny," he said irritably, "when all my life I have been hated for… wait… what did you just do?"

Giggling, Ginny leaned closer. _'I learnt a neat way of talking in class without the teacher finding out.'_

"Excuse me, Ginevra," Rowena said with narrowed eyes, turning her attention away from her books. "I heard every single word. A teacher, after all, is a teacher." Seeing the girl's abashed face, she chuckled. "I am actually impressed you managed telepathy, albeit broadcasting to the minds of every inhabitant in this castle, so soon. But I would advise you to allow Salazar to train you in such Mind Arts. Why don't you read the section on Apparition and Portkeys instead?"

"And Harry dear," Lilith continued when Rowena returned to her own work. "Anger is not conducive to acquiring knowledge. Keep your emotions in check, store them, and let them multiply. When you meet your enemies, these stored emotions will be a formidable source of power for your magic. Do not take it out on those who care for you."

--

Afternoons with Helga, according to both Harry and Ginny were the most fun part of the day. The woman was really very nice and fun to be with. And her initial promises had left both children eager to continue learning from her.

"What makes a witch, a witch?" she asked rhetorically, before replying her own question in a song:

"What makes a witch, a witch, is this,  
Broomsticks, black cats, frogs and cauldrons;  
Hexes, scary hats, scrying and covens!"

Taking both amused children's hands, she led them to a boiling cauldron, continuously humming.

"Double, double, toil, and trouble  
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble  
Double, double, toil, and trouble  
Something wicked this way comes!"

As she sang the last note, she dropped a Newt's Eye into the cauldron, and smoke rose instantly and a foul odor filled the room, making all three occupants choke.

"And that is the reason why one should take Potion Making seriously and not as a song and dance," Helga said as if it was all intentional. She vanished the mess and looked up sharply when Harry and Ginny chuckled. "There will be no sniggering in my class!" she said in a mock severity while wriggling her finger at the two miscreants and both Harry and Ginny chuckled once again at the dear old lady's antics. Then she turned to another cauldron and cackled in triumph. "It is complete!"

"Here, you snigger-ers, is a cauldron of," she said, before lowering her voice to a mock whisper, "Animagus Potion." When Harry and Ginny's eyes widened in surprise, she covered the cauldron with its cover, "Uh uh uh," she said, wriggling a finger. "You will not have any of my potion… not until you give me your solemn promise that you will work hard and have replaced it by the end of this year!"

When both teenagers' nodded emphatically, she sighed happily. "It is a hard potion and though I am aware you are able to prepare the initial bit, but you misunderstood me. You will make this potion _without any instructions at all!_ In order for you to make it successfully, you must learn what ingredients and brewing techniques are capable of and how it would react with the others. For such is truly the only way in which one can learn how to make potions."

She cackled at the horrified expression on the children's faces and added, "Since you are so keen to begin," she smiled broadly, "you can take a vial each before you sleep. Now, let us read how the most basic ingredients react with each other."

--

"Ah, two young Slytherins," Salazar drawled as he leaned back on his comfortable armchair. "You have read some of my words, have you not? Of what use is cunning and ambition if one has not the knowledge required to achieve those goals, or the courage to take risks or the perseverance to keep working at it? I despise what my name symbolizes in your time. How do you think such a situation came into being?"

Harry mused for a moment but it was Ginny who answered first. "My family has always been pure Gryffindors who looked down on Slytherins. When I became a Slytherin… Most people seem to care more about fitting to the image of their house rather than achieving their potential. Perhaps it is the Sorting itself that is the problem?"

"Perhaps," said Salazar Slytherin with a nod and conjured two chess boards, one in front of each Harry and Ginny. "Or perhaps it only serves to show the imperfection of all humans - magic or not." He beckoned for both of them to play with him simultaneously and continued, "Chess. It originated in India some five hundred years ago, from where it was taken to the Persian World. It is still fairly a new pastime in Europe and I find it a highly stimulating way to make my mind sharper while conversing with others."

Slytherin played two games simultaneously while continuing their small chat about all that they were already capable of. Harry lost his game within a dozen moves while Ginny was engrossed in it deeply. Finally, Slytherin laughed as he check mated Ginny's king and said, "Perhaps someday I will take you to Father Dunstan, one of the only priests who will deign to converse with a heathen such as I. It would do him good to see how clever a young witch can be."

"To return to today's lesson, I will teach you to shield your mind. Occlumency is the art employed, which both of you are aware of, and yet, it is not the only way. There are several ways to harness the power of the mind." He motioned for Ginny to speak her mind.

"I read earlier today with Lady Rowena and Lilith," she said, "that the mind can be used as a magical core, to channel energies for different and varied purposes and that forms the basis for wandless magic. Is that also the basis for Legilimency and Occlumency?"

Salazar paused thoughtfully and then shook his head. "Legilimency and Occlumency are based on complete control of your thoughts, by clearing your mind. Control, however, is not the only means by which magic is achieved."

"Control, power, vision and intent," Harry intoned, "brought together by imagination and creativity."

Salazar raised an eyebrow. "That is correct. An alternative to controlling your thoughts would be to harnessing the power of your emotions to create a barricade, or to imagine your mind as a fortress and trap your assailants. Similarly for Legilimency, you could use power to batter your foe's mind, or you could imagine an invisible bead that moves between the two of you, carrying his thoughts to you."

Seeing Harry's thoughtful expression, he nodded, "Usually, different situations are most suited to different techniques and only a Mind Mage will be quick enough to revert from one technique to another in a single battlefield."

Then he proceeded to explain various exercises for each of the different techniques, before making them practice every single one of them.

--

Exhausted, Harry and Ginny returned to their rooms for the night. Dinner had been quick, as the four founders and Lilith had been occupied with other business. The house elves had served dinner to the two children in a smaller room before they retired for the night.

In Harry's room, when he emerged from the bathroom in his pajamas, Ginny was there, already changed. He smiled. The medieval clothes made her look angelic in a regal way. Walking to her, he pulled her in his arms and hugged her.

"You smell good," he muttered.

Giggling, Ginny said, "So you do want me as your teddy bear tonight?"

Playfully patting her head, Harry said, "That's my Gin Bear!"

Ginny's fist curled to a ball and came dangerously close to taking Harry's head off. Chuckling and laughing, the two children began wrestling on the bed until their arms and legs were tangled together. "Harry," Ginny breathed hoarsely, pushing him aside. "Animagus."

"Right," Harry said, eager to take the potion but disappointed to let go of the redhead.

Within moments, both were lying on their beds with the contents of the vial in their stomach. As it entered their system, their eyes closed and they entered the trance of Animagus Revelation.

When Harry woke up, a silly grin on his face, he found Ginny looking at him eagerly. Seeing him up, she instantly snuggled against him. "What was yours?" she asked curiously.

"How does that saying go, my dear," Harry drawled, in a manner distinctly similar to Salazar. "Ah, yes. Ladies first."

"Prat!" she complained, hitting his arm lightly. Then grinning, she said, "I'm a unicorn. I thought I would be a snake but I'm glad I'm not." She smiled sweetly.

Harry kissed her cheek fondly, at the spot where her dimple had appeared. "I'm a pegasus," he exclaimed. and sighed in content when the girl snuggled against him, the warmth of their bodies comforting each other. "I wish we could stay here forever."

"So do I," whispered Ginny sleepily. "But we do not know what might happen. As long as we are here, however, let us enjoy it."

"As you wish, Gin Bear," muttered Harry, pulling her closer to him.

--

Lessons continued in a similar vein for the twain, and before long Harry and Ginny were beginning to get impressed with their own abilities. Six months had passed since their arrival, and they had become quite closely attached to their five teachers. For Harry, it was also a journey of finally understanding what being part of a family felt like and for that he was glad. Outside of lessons, he was always in the company of either Ginny or Lilith.

During lessons, Godric had ensured their physical shape had been constantly improving. Supplemented by Helga's potions, Harry was beginning to feel much better than he ever had, while Ginny was blossoming to a beauty far surpassing her initial prettiness despite still being a young girl.

They had progressed from wooden swords and Godric had commissioned ordinary steel swords for them. But while Harry and Godric sparred with relish for hours, Ginny would rather observe or practice her Animagus Forms. Swords weren't her strength. When they moved to dueling with wands, however, she would do so with much joy.

Rowena and Lilith's classes followed much in the same manner. They would do their own research, someone occasionally throwing a stimulating question to start a debate that would continue on for a while, often resulting in Salazar or Godric having to settle the issue. In this manner, Harry and Ginny were becoming increasingly self reliant, and would often find themselves reading through the evening and well into the late hours of the night.

Helga's classes were full of Potion making, herb lore and merry making. She had stated clearly at the beginning that the Animagus Transformations would be done outside her time, and Harry and Ginny had little problem with that. Salazar's time was spent in strengthening their minds. Once they were sufficiently formidable, he alternated Mind Magic with Runic Magic, and used his staff to draw runes as power sources.

Harry and Ginny were both proficient in Mind Magic, but in different ways. While Harry excelled in the traditional methods of Occlumency and Legilimency that he had started teaching himself in his first year at Hogwarts, Ginny however made her mind a formidable fortress and was becoming stronger in a more subtle form of Legilimency and Telepathy, something which made Salazar Slytherin relish teaching her all the more. During her private mind battles with Salazar, Harry would practice his own Animagus form.

But every time Harry would ask, Lilith would respond that they still had plenty of time together and not to worry about returning. There was still much to learn. But a sadness in her eyes would reveal to Harry the painful truth that when that day came, it would also be the day he would be parted from his mother. Perhaps forever. And he tried hard to ignore such thoughts.


	9. Chapter 9

For those who like my story, here's a treat. Less than twenty four hours. I'll try to post the next chapter by tomorrow but I'll be busy doing my college project tonight, so no promises.

Please review. Nice and well thought out reviews give me the extra motivation I need when I decide whether to write or not.

**Chapter 9**

July 31st was a day to remember. It was the seventh month of their stay in the past for Ginny and Harry. Both Ginny and Lilith were aware of the significance of that day. And they had told Helga as well. So it came as no surprise to everyone except Harry when he woke up to see the entire castle decorated with ribbons, flowers and balloons. He woke up to a chorus of house elves singing 'Happy Birthday' with Ginny, Lilith and Helga's voice drowned out amidst the shrill high pitched singing. Harry gaped in startled silence, then confusion, and then embarrassment when realization dawned on him. He was not used to having his birthday celebrated.

As his expressions changed, identical angry scowls came on the faces of Ginny and Lilith, and they both hugged him.

"You remembered," Harry whispered, and received a light smack on his head.

"It was the happiest day of my life after all," rebuked Lilith fondly. "How could I ever not remember?"

By then, Helga Hufflepuff had laid out a set of hideously, at least according to Harry, colorful robes for him to wear with a matching hat. He had wanted to avoid a fuss, but seeing the joy in both Ginny and Lilith's eyes, he quickly donned the robes.

Breakfast was quite normal, with the other three Founders sparing amused looks at the slightly disgruntled, highly touched but ardently colorful lad. On his entrance, Salazar had made a few snide remarks at the decorations and especially at his student's appearance, but his comments were watered down by Godric's uproarious laughter as he pointed at a highly disgruntled Harry. Rowena instantly scooped him in her arms and kissed his forehead, before letting go. Then came the presents.

Helga gave hers first. She had a very practical gift - new robes, more suitable to wear in public than his birthday robes, and boots. Harry smiled at her, she had gone through much trouble for him.

Then Salazar clapped his hands and a golden green sphere appeared in front of him. With a wave of his hand, the object floated to Harry, who gingerly touched it. It was hard.

Harry looked curiously at Salazar, who waited contemplatively for Harry to guess. "An egg of some sort?"

"Runespoor egg," the Founder said, much to the amazement of Harry. "Selene found it in the forest. It is a few weeks to hatching. It will make an adequate familiar." Lowering his voice, he added, "You should visit Selene some day. She expresses her desire to meet her hatchling from the future. And you also need to let me inspect your wands in detail so I can make them someday."

Blushing, Harry nodded. He then looked at Salazar in wonder. Runespoors were incredibly magical and loyal to the first Parselmouth they met. He croaked a weak thank you, as the Founder returned to his breakfast.

Ginny got up then, saying, "I don't have much to give, Harry," she clasped his mouth shut with her hand, when he started to protest. "But there is something which is mine, and mine alone, to give to whoever I please." Taking a step back, she transformed to her Animagus form. A beautiful silver unicorn stood in front of him, looking with eager and loving eyes. She trotted to him and pointed her horn at him expectantly.

Harry was astounded. Ginny had kept it a secret from him that she had managed to successfully transform. Perhaps she wanted to surprise him this way. But then he gazed at her horn, and the meaning became clear to him. Harry had taken special delight in studying about magical creatures and knew the significance of a Unicorn's First Touch.

Raising his hand, he tenderly stroked the unicorn's horn, and as he did, an overwhelming sensation of warmth and love went through him, uplifting every fiber of his being, as if he were brought in front of a fire after a lifetime of winter and snow. Gone were all memories of fear and sorrow as he was bathed in the purity of a unicorn's first touch, in Ginny's love for him. Smiling, he looked at the unicorn's loving eyes, and kissed her nose.

The unicorn made a soft noise, as if giggling, and the next instant, transformed back to Ginny. The redhead sunk in Harry's arms.

"The touch of a unicorn," Rowena said in awe. "Consider yourself one of very few fortunate individuals to have experienced the… well, you would know better than I… and the first contact even…" she shook her head in wonder.

Then Godric placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, and said, "You have a good heart, lad. And give a few more years, and you will be a more renowned sword master than Godric of Castle Hogwarts. I wish you to accept my sword after my time is done. It isn't as much a gift as a responsibility. Will you accept it?" He chuckled at Harry's awed expression. "I will take that as a yes then."

Finally, Lilith and Rowena looked at each other. Lilith spoke, though with slight hesitation. "Will you follow us, children?"

Harry and Ginny got up, unable to comprehend the sudden stillness in the air, and followed Lilith and Rowena to the very chamber where they came from. The chamber with the mirror.

With a seizure of apprehension, fear and dismay, Harry cried out, "NO! I don't want to leave!"

"Oh my baby," whispered Lilith, grabbing Harry tenderly. "You are not leaving anywhere. At least not yet." She looked at Rowena glumly and said, "Why must we do this today? Why can't we wait until tomorrow, at the very least?"

"Child," said Rowena gracefully, and Harry and Ginny seemed surprised that the title was used for Lilith and not them. "It was your own desire to give him his rightful due on his birthday. If you desire we could wait until next year. But I believe he is ready."

Lilith looked at Harry, and the moment their eyes met, Lilith nodded. "He is ready. And I think he had been ready even when he stepped through the mirror. It was but a mother's heart that delayed placing this burden on her child's hurting soul."

"Mum?" asked Harry in confusion.

"Look into the mirror, Harry," said Lilith with a closed expression. "Overcome its power over you and command it to see that which has been, and that which yet might be. Do not let it cloud your vision with that which you desire."

Harry frowned and looked at Ginny for aid. "If you want," said Ginny. "Then I'll look with you. _Legilimens!" _she muttered and her mind was filled with Harry's sight.

Harry took a deep breath and stepped forward to the mirror. At first all he saw was himself, Ginny, Lilith and the Founders sitting around a table and simply spending a quiet evening with each other. Harry cleared his mind, and felt Ginny aiding him with that.

'_That which has been,'_ Ginny's voice came unbidden in his mind, and he felt the mirror's overwhelming power recede from his mind, leaving behind a chasm that questioned him his desire.

Harry nodded and thought to himself, 'I wish to see why I was blamed for my mother's death.'

--

_It was a happy evening in Godric's Hollow. James and Lily Potter were playing with their fifteen month old twin boys, when a sudden explosion was heard. It came from directly outside their house. James Potter rushed out of the room while Lily Potter gazed lovingly at her sons._

"_The time approaches. I have discovered the nature of the magical explosion that sent me to the future. I will return to where I belong. But I promise you, my children. You will see me again." She drew a circle with a chalk and stood inside, with the babies behind her legs, shielded by her body. "As long as you remain within the circle."_

_A dark robed man appeared in the doorway and Lily begged for the lives of her children. The man laughed and drew his wand. At that moment James Potter and Sirius Black entered the room and they dueled with Lord Voldemort, the intruder. _

_It took Lord Voldemort all of two minutes to petrify both his opponents, a sadistic act in making them witness the murders he was planning. He raised his wand and Lily's eyes flashed with fury. _

"_Kill me first," she cried out, her eyes ever falling on the chalked circle. Just then, the black haired baby stepped in front of her while the red haired one walked out of the soft rugged floor and crawled out of the circle. "NO!" screamed Lily, as Voldemort's curse hit Lily Potter._

_There was an explosion unlike any heard earlier by those in the room, and James Potter and Sirius Black fell into oblivion. Little Jerry Potter began crying from outside the circle while Harry Potter remained lifeless in his mother's arms, unheeding of a green light that came towards him and within inches of Harry Potter's forehead, bent backwards, hitting its source instead._

_Minutes later, when the two men came back to their senses and felt the curse lifted from them, they saw Jerry Potter had crawled over to the burnt black robes of Lord Voldemort, while Harry Potter remained in the circle, unmoving. Both the bodies of Lily Potter and Lord Voldemort had disappeared without a trace._

"_He… he killed her," muttered James Potter. But to Sirius Black's shock, his friend wasn't looking at the remains of Lord Voldemort, but at the boy within the circle. _

"_Prongs?" he asked in disbelief._

"_He moved!" James yelled. "Lily had a plan but Harry moved! If he hadn't moved, she would be alive!" _

"_James, he's only a baby," said Sirius Black, staring at his friend in shock._

_James looked at Harry and then at Sirius. He shook himself and said slowly, "Of course he is. He is just a baby. It wasn't his fault."_

--

"It was not your fault," said Ginny forcefully, pulling Harry back as his eyes misted.

"Of course it wasn't!" echoed Lilith with equal force. "My whole intention was to create a magical upsurge that would power the runes to send me back to the past. Love and hate collided, Harry. My love for you, and you alone, for your brother had left the circle, and Voldemort's hatred of us. It was sufficient. My only grief at the end was I would not be able to maintain a link with your brother."

"But… but," Harry protested. "The curse that backfired hit me! How can that be unless…"

"Unless you are the true boy-who-lived."

"I don't want to be!" said Harry firmly. "Jerry can keep that. I just want to stay here with you and Ginny, and the others."

Lilith smiled sadly at Harry and said, "Keep looking at the mirror."

'Why can't I live here forever?' Harry asked himself and Ginny in his mind, as he looked into the mirror.

--

_Hogwarts was burning. Fires of destruction sent smoke up to the skies in wrathful puffs. The once lush green fields were charred and littered with corpses. The Great Lake was red with the color of blood. Trolls and giants ransacked what was left standing of the magnificent castle, while vampires and dementors were feeding off the remainder of survivors._

_As the pillage went on mercilessly, one solitary figure watched with great relish. Surrounding him were perhaps a dozen black robed men._

"_We have succeeded. The Dark Era is unleashed. Chaos, havoc and destruction will replace the tenets of justice, compassion and mercy. Under the dominion of Lord Voldemort, Emperor of Britain and soon to be Emperor of the World, will a new order be unleashed - that of slavery for those who oppose him or are judged unworthy by magic. Under the dominion of Lord Voldemort will an old wrong be righted, and Salazar Slytherin's noble dream bare fruition."_

_He then walked to the Quidditch Field, where hanging by the goals were several people, each wearing identical white robes with a phoenix image on the front and back._

"_The Order of the Phoenix!" mocked Lord Voldemort, gesturing all activity to stop. Vampires, trolls, giants, Death Eaters, muggles, witches and wizards being preyed by Voldemort's minions - they all stopped and turned to face the Dark Lord in his moment of jubilation. "Where now is Albus Dumbledore and his famed boy-who-lived? Where is the phoenix that rises from the ashes of its destruction?"_

_After several moments of ominous silence, Voldemort continued, "I will tell you where. The phoenix is consumed, not by the might of Lord Voldemort alone, but by the foolishness of those who opposed him." Saying that he started laughing. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… such was the prophecy which hailed Jerry Potter as your savior." There was a moment of silence when all eyes fell on the harangued face of Jerry Potter, hanging by a goal post, his wrists tying him in midair. A momentary spark of hope resonated as Jerry Potter glared back at his tormentor. "The prophecy was misinterpreted. 'He will mark him as his equal,' and I did mark him as my equal. Him, not Jerry potter, but his brother, Harry Potter."_

_Lord Voldemort laughed like a madman as his words drove into the minds of those watching him with disbelief. "The very Harry Potter whom you drove away with your prejudice and injustice. In short, you brought this doom on yourself, and for that, Lord Voldemort is much grateful." And he continued laughing._

--

Harry pulled himself back with dread. Both he and Ginny were breathing rapidly, unable to comprehend what they had just seen.

"That dementor," she muttered woefully. "It… it killed Bill." Her eyes were downcast and she was trembling with fear and grief.

Harry wiped her tears and said gently, "It hasn't happened, and I sear to you, I won't let that happen." He turned to his mother and said, "So that's why I must leave you? I have to stop Voldemort again."

Lilith nodded sadly and said, "But that is not the only reason. You can find happiness too. Look in the mirror, Harry."

Harry pulled Ginny in his arms, and looked into the mirror resolutely. 'How can I find happiness if I return to the future?'

--

_It was a bright and sunny morning. A large crowd had gathered in he fields and hallways of Hogwarts. Hogwarts appeared more magnificent than ever. Much had changed about the castle, it no longer held the gentle welcoming of a school, but as a glorious castle that had achieved in its purpose. There was great rejoicing. People could be heard to sing and laugh in joy._

_Much of Hogwarts had been rebuilt, small sections that might have crumbled away during a siege. One such new addition was the open terrace that availed a view to all those gathered in the fields below. And in glorious and majestic robes stood in the terrace two figures. A dark haired man clad in silver and gold robes, with a sword hanging beside him, and a red haired woman in a green dress was leaning against him, a serpent scepter in one hand and a bundle of cloth in the other. _

_All around them were magical creatures of all kinds - above them flew several griffins, hippogriffs and phoenixes in majesty and brilliance. Next to them were serpents - a runespoor, a basilisk with its magical eyes shut, sliding with grace; unicorns played with other four legged beasts, and every single soul rejoiced as the man kissed the woman._

_It was then that a small bundle in he woman's arms became visible. It was a baby with bright green eyes that stared with confusion as the man took her gently in his hands and raised her high for the world and he skies to see._

"_Long live King Harry!" came a chorused response cheer from the crowd. "Long live Queen Ginny! Long live Princess Lilith!"_

_--_

Harry pulled back but both he and Ginny stood transfixed, gazing at each other, and unable to shake off the image from their head.

"She was beautiful," breathed Harry finally, and Ginny smiled as she rested her head against Harry's shoulder. "She was so beautiful."

"As beautiful as you were, my son," said Lilith fondly, kissing both children's forehead.

Seeing the embarrassed look on Harry's face, Rowena stated clearly, "Actually, she was as beautiful as _you_ were, my daughter."

All three laughed happily as Lilith's cheek reddened, before she too joined in.


	10. Chapter 10

Aethelred isn't King Arthur. He's just an ordinary person, the great great grandson of Alfred the Great, who became king at 10 years of age in an atmosphere of political instability and turmoil between the Church, the pagans and the Danish invasion. Apparently, his rule was considered to be very weak, although he was glorified for having laid down the tenets of modern jury and social justice, which is what my story will try to draw upon, based on the magical community with goblins thrown into the mix of invaders.

Honestly, there isn't much about Aethelred, but if you follow my story, what little I put can be quite fascinating. And to any history buffs, I apologize for any mistakes. I do not study nor am I an expert in history, I'm simply fascinated by it. My knowledge could be flawed, misinterpreted or mistaken, although I hope it is not.

**Chapter 10**

"Aethelred is unready!"

The words fell harshly on Harry's ears as he and Ginny entered the dining hall. Godric and Salazar were having a heated debate with some other people, who from their attire, appeared to be high nobility. It was Godric who had bellowed those words.

Seeing the two children, Godric paused. "Our apprentices," he introduced curtly. "Harold and Ginevra." He gestured towards the guests and said, "Archbishop Dunstan," to a clergyman. "Lord Uhtred of Northumbria," he pointed to a savage looking man, clad in rich silks and iron rings around his arm. An amulet of a silver hammer was hanging around his neck on a silver chain. "Our neighbor, from Castle Bebbanburg."

"Greetings," Harry said politely, with a bow. Turning to Godric, he said, "Forgive us for intruding, Master Gryffindor. Perhaps we should retire."

"Wait," said the newcomer Uhtred. With a strange gleam in his eyes, he turned to Godric and said, "Why do you say Aethelred is unready?"

"He is merely fifteen!" Godric said furiously. "His kingdom is under attack from goblins and Vikings! The only decent advisor around him," he beckoned towards the Archbishop, "is planning to retire! He has no support!"

"Exactly," said Uhtred. "Which is why he needs the company of people whom he can relate to." He glanced surreptitiously towards Harry and Ginny.

"No," bellowed Godric. "I will not have my apprentices thrown in the midst of political manipulations and open warfare! They are far too young!" Then sighing, he added, "And the Christian leeches," he turned to the Archbishop apologetically, "pardon me, father, but the Christians around King Aethelred will not condone the presence of magically endowed youngsters."

Dunstan sighed. "I am afraid Godric is right. But you cannot abandon him," he pleaded to the two Founders. "I have done all I can. My influence in the royal court is over. The king I supported has been assassinated. Aethelred's supporters will not allow me to remain much longer."

"Then what do you suggest?" Godric asked.

"At the very least, Godric, my friend," said the Archbishop, "aid the young lad in suppressing the goblin wars."

--

And so it was that a week later, Godric, Salazar and Lilith departed from the castle. They were to join the young king's army in invading Mercia to the south of Northumbria, where the goblins had established a stronghold.

It was with a wary heart that Harry bade farewell to his mother and the two men he had come to love as dear uncles, and despite Rowena's best efforts to keep them both occupied, Harry found himself staring to the South, in the hope of seeing Lilith return on her hippogriff. But to little avail.

Finally, he took Ginny aside and said, "Something is wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Godric's sword!" he exclaimed. "It bears a bond with me since my birthday. It's as if the sword is calling for aid."

"Harry," Ginny held his hand tightly. "Are you sure?"

Harry took a deep breath. "Something has happened to Godric, Ginny, and perhaps to mum. I must go."

"All right," Ginny said.

"Alone."

"In your dreams," Ginny said, picking up the makeshift staff Salazar had provided her for her Runic Magic.

Harry hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "On top of me," he said, transforming to his Pegasus form. Ginny hastily climbed atop the white and black Pegasus and grabbed his mane for support.

They soared to the sky, and Harry followed his link to the sword. After nearly an hour of flight, they came upon a truly horrible sight. The battlefield was a bloodied mess. Corpses were littered all around. The goblins were roaring in triumph.

In a rage, Harry dived to an empty spot near the goblins. The instant he landed on his feet, the Sword of Gryffindor flew to his hands from the ground in a far distance, and he charged. From the corner of his eyes, he registered Ginny having already brought down several goblins with her staff, before he reached them. With magic, he held a shield around himself, while attacking with his sword. With flawless technique and amazing speed, he cut through the goblin ranks. His rage was strong enough to keep a constant flow of magical power to hold his shield up, and he realized the reason why Lilith and Rowena kept on telling him to keep his anger at bay.

The goblins had not expected a sudden attack, and ran to a further clearing to regroup. Seeing them retreat, Harry instantly stopped attacking and searched the ground for any survivors. Salazar was alive, but badly wounded. Harry helped him up, and Ginny instantly apparated back to Hogwarts with him.

Godric wasn't there. Neither was Lilith Harry's heart was filled with fear and anger. He raged against the injustice in his life. He wasn't going to let go of his mother so easily. Walking towards the goblin party with the Sword of Gryffindor in hand, he bellowed, "Where are they?"

The goblins sneered and charged at him, but Harry was ready. He recalled Rowena's words. Dipping into the anger and hatred he had kept in store since his arrival - the anger of a lifetime of neglect and discrimination, and the anger which he felt at that instant, he sent a pure magical discharge through the sword to the approaching goblins, obliterating them instantly. He didn't keep count, but history would record it as a hundred goblins felled in one blow. Turning his gaze to another group of goblins, the sole survivors, he raised his sword.

But before he could send another wave of power, the goblins threw their spears down and knelt on the ground.

"Where are they?" he bellowed again.

"The king… the king is here," a goblin croaked, shoving the figure of a mere teenage boy towards Harry. "Take him… go…"

"Where is Godric Gryffindor? Where is Lilith Ravenclaw?" Harry bellowed, but held his hand out to support the young king.

The goblins looked at each other in confusion, and trembled at Harry's fury, but had no response.

The young king touched Harry's hand and said in a whisper, "The Danes took Lord Gryffindor and the pretty woman who accompanied him." Then he turned to the goblins in disgust and said, "These creatures only appeared after the Danes had ambushed us."

Harry looked at the king curiously. Then he turned to the goblins and said, "Swear an oath of allegiance to King Aethelred of England, and I will let you live."

The young king of England looked at Harry curiously, and in awe. But he didn't say anything as the goblins took the oath.

"You are injured," Harry said. "I will take you to Lady Helga for healing." Then he frowned. "I'm not sure if side-along apparition works on non magical people."

"You're a… witch?" the king stumbled back in fear.

Despite the situation, Harry chuckled. "No, I'm a wizard, Your Highness." Then he transformed to his Pegasus form, and lowered his head before the king. In a daze, Aethelred climbed on the horse, and allowed himself to be whisked away to Hogwarts.

--

"I must protect the Castle!" a voice shouted. "You cannot trap me here, I will survive, I must protect the Castle!"

Harry had flown to Hogwarts and led the king towards Helga's ward, when he heard Salazar's angry shouts. Quickening his pace, he flung the door open. All eyes turned to him in surprise, and then to the king.

"Your Highness," everyone said respectfully and bowed, except Salazar, whose face was heavily bandaged. Then Helga whisked young Aethelred to a bed, ignoring his protests at being treated to witchcraft.

"Harry?" Salazar asked in wonder. When Harry replied, he sighed audibly and his shoulders sagged in relief. "The Danes are coming. Their Magicians captured Godric and Lilith to use them in opening the wards. You must command Selene to destroy the invaders!"

"I can't do that," Harry interrupted. "Mum and Godric will be with them! They're not immune to the Basilisk Stare like us!"

"You fool!" Salazar hissed. "There is much more at stake here than two lives! Godric's final instructions to me were: give the sword to the boy, and set your snake loose!" He drew a deep breath, and said, "Do you not realize the difference Hogwarts will make to this Viking Invasion?"

"I will meet them in battle," Harry said with a tone of finality. "But I will not set a Basilisk on mum and Godric."

"The boy is right," Helga said. "We must hold to our values above our lives. Rowena?"

The dark haired lady got up and looked out the window. Sighing, she said, "Intellect and common sense is in Salazar's favor, but my heart screams in Harry's."

There was a moment of deep, and almost painful, silence, broken by Salazar Slytherin. "Then take me outside. I will attack the minds of our foes, while Ginevra wields my Serpent Staff."

"I will fight too," a voice came form a corner, and all eyes fell on the young king. "Though I will not be of much use against magicians and sorcerers, but an arrow can kill a witch as it can anyone else."

And so the Defenders of Hogwarts rose to battle - one blindfolded wizard, two witches, two barely teenage apprentices, and one non magical teenage boy. Facing them was a horde of Viking warriors, and several Danish mages.

It was nighttime. The sky was completely dark, and the air was still. Suddenly the clouds were seared by a blinding flash. Lightning smote down from the east and for a long moment, the Defenders of Hogwarts saw the space between them and the horizon filled with black shaped, bone cad men. Hundreds upon hundreds of them poured to surround the estate of Hogwarts in an arc, awaiting for the wards to be felled.

Strange incantations were carried by the wind from the lips of the bone clad men to the ears of those arrayed defensively on the towers of the magnificent castle. Arrows came as rain and came dangerously close to touching the walls of the castle. Some did find the mark. The assault on Hogwarts had begun, but there was no response. The Defenders remained still.

The assailing hosts faltered, frustrated by the silence that greeted them. Then the incantations became darker, the warriors who were not mages started screaming in an attempt to frighten any who stood before them. With a crack of lightning that didn't emanate from the skies, but from one of the mages, there was a loud and heavy crack, a burst of energy that sent tremors down the core of the earth and shook the castle to its very stone and brick.

It was Ginny who first noticed it.

"The centaurs!" she called out. "The centaurs are moving!" And surely in the distance, battle was about to be joined as scores of half horse half men creatures charged through the clearing beyond the forest and were about to fall upon the invaders.

"They will fight to protect their homes," said Rowena. "We must join them or they will die." With that she raised her hand and said, "Up!" A broomstick shot up and she clutched it tightly. "I will fight them from over their heads. Ginny, stay with Salazar; Harry, stay with the king. If anything should happen, bring out the basilisk."

Harry nodded and watched with wonder as Rowena Ravenclaw steered herself adroitly in the skies, maneuvering and carting through the air as if it were the simplest thing imaginable, and at the same time, she sent wave after wave of magical curses, hexes and explosions - felling many of the assailants.

Meanwhile, Helga Hufflepuff had been cackling insanely as she joined the other witch in the skies and emptied the contents of a cauldron over their enemies, making them cry in anguish before collapsing to the ground. Salazar Slytherin had his hands outstretched, and it spoke wonders of his skills that he required not the aid of his eyes to enter the minds of his foes. One by one, Salazar Slytherin broke the will of the assailants from fighting, and many a brave Dane ran like a coward. But yet, hundreds upon hundreds remained standing, especially those shielded by the Danish mages.

With the wards collapsing after a few more bouts of lightning energy, some of the Danish mages had started gaining towards the castle, and only after Aethelred, Harry and Ginny brought down six of them in their own ways that they became more defensive.

"I should go down and meet them face to face," said Harry, gripping his sword tightly, but Ginny chose that moment to scream at him.

"You will do no such thing!" she yelled.

"But there are so many of them!" Harry retorted.

"Exactly!" Ginny cried out. "And much better trained, and bigger and scarier. I don't want you to die, Harry. Please don't go."

"Ginevra is correct," came Slytherin's voice. "We are doing well as we are. Let the inhabitants of the forest engage the invaders in battle at the ground."

"Maybe," Harry said slowly. Then he suddenly raised his wand and cried out, "Salazar, where are mum and Godric? Can you sense them? Are they all right?"

After nearly a minute, Salazar nodded. "There. Behind that group of archers in the back. They haven't been hurt too bad yet, only a few bruises. That is a relief. I was afraid they might have… Lilith is safe. Why?"

But Harry turned to Ginny and said, "Cast shields around them, Ginny, the moment they rise to the air. Wingardium Leviosa! Wingardium Leviosa! Accio mum! Accio Godric! Protego!"

"Protego!" Ginny echoed, cutting the arrows from reaching the two figures that soared through the air.

"Stand back!" Harry said, as Lilith and Godric appeared closer and closer. "Mum!" he cried out and opened his arms to catch the taller woman. "Mum!" He fell to the ground with Lilith over him. Without caring, he kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly. Lilith also refused to let go of her son, from whom she had nearly been parted forever.

Soon Ginny also joined in the embrace, pulled by Lilith, and neither of the three heard the echoing shouts of Aethelred, as he screamed in joy. "Bebbanburg is here! Lord Uhtred has come!"


	11. Chapter 11

Kudos to Bodrugan for identifying the slight link with Bernard Cornwell's books. There isn't much of importance taken from it as everything is the same in history as well. Uhtred in my story is probably the grandson or great grandson of the Uhtred in his; but then all lords of Bebbanburg apparently were given the title Uhtred (if I'm not mistaken), so it is a moot point. So take my word, there are no spoilers in my story whatsoever.

Thanks for reviews. Sorry for not replying to you guys personally. I had been occupied with writing the story instead. But once the chapters start drying out for the time, I'll get back to responding to all reviews that require a response.

This is a short chapter, and the Founders time is nearly over. It's a pity, I would have loved to kept them here and have loads of wonderful adventures, but that would be too much of a deviation.

**Chapter 11**

"I do not know what to think," said the young king in confusion. He was sitting by the lake with Harry and Ginny, who were holding hands.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. Since the disastrous failed attack on Hogwarts, Aethelred had been a close companion of theirs.

"All my life, I have been brought up in the belief that witchcraft is evil, that witches ought to be hunted down," he said. "Then I see you… and Ginny… and the others. How can I believe that any longer?"

Harry sighed. He smiled weakly at the troubled older boy. With all the responsibilities and burdens thrown on his own shoulder as he had gleaned from the mirror, he could feel something of the young king's troubles.

"I come from a thousand years in the future, Ed," Harry said, ignoring the young king's momentary chagrin at being called 'Ed' that he didn't even get an opportunity to express his disbelief at time travel. "Hard to believe, but there it is." Sighing, he continued, "An evil wizard tried to kill my parents because they didn't believe in his ideologies. The evil wizard claimed that we, magicians, are superior to the rest of you. He raised an army to destroy and enslave everyone without magic. But there were many wizards and witches who fought him, and will always fight others like him, for the sake of those who call us 'freaks' and abominations of nature and God. The truth, Ed, is that there is no good or evil in magic. There is only power."

"How can you say that?" said the king in chagrin. "How can something be completely devoid of evil and good at the same time?"

"There is a right and a wrong in the decisions and choices made by each of us," Harry continued. "Will you allow the threat of a greater power, that is magic, to lead you in the direction of a wrong choice? Will you become like that Dark Lord, but from the other side? I know what will happen in the days to come… I do not recall when exactly… but in the coming future, witches and wizards, completely innocent human beings, will be dragged from their homes by the followers of the Church, and burnt at the stake! Defenseless women and innocent children! People like me and Ginny!" Looking at the young king's horrified face, he mellowed slightly, but continued speaking, "Those being burnt were neither good nor evil, only less powerful than those who condemned them. Power is the decisive factor, and there is a choice that awaits you, King Aethelred. What will you choose?"

When the king remained silent, Harry continued. "And then I have seen yet another future. One where that same Dark Lord is resurrected and becomes powerful. He brings back on the non magical world a havoc many times worse. I saw Hogwarts burning, and in front of it died the last flames of humanity. It was the witch hunt yet again, but with the roles reversed. Power, again, Ed, was the decisive factor, not the goodness or evil of magic. There is as much good and evil in magic as there is in the Church, if at all, but it is power that matters most. What will you choose?"

The king remained silent and the lines on his forehead indicated the depth of his thinking.

The hazardous foiled attack on Hogwarts was followed by days of nearly complete inactivity, after which the Founders began setting up the foundations for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in earnest.

Harry and Ginny, and sometimes Aethelred, who had become a welcome guest in the castle, often sat in during such discussions, until Godric got annoyed with the two time travelers' constant sniggers and comments to each other and Lilith, and threw his Hat on the table and said, "There! Let that be the solution to the Sorting of the students!"

At that, Harry and Ginny became unable to control their laughter and spent an entertaining hour as Lilith attempted to sublty channel the Founders in the direction she knew the school to be in.

"Your entourage is at the gates of the castle, Your Highness," said Godric suddenly. "The wards have alerted me to their arrival and they do not seem eager to venture in."

"They won't." Aethelred looked reluctantly out of the window and turned to Harry. "You've been a good friend to me and I owe you a debt that I cannot repay." To Ginny, he said with a smile, "If not for the debt I owed you and Harry, I would have desired to take you with me. Such beauty that I see blossoming in you ought to grace the finest of palaces."

"I do not know," said Aethelred suddenly in a troubled manner. "You asked me a question a few days ago, Harry, and I do not have an answer even yet. I am not ready to make a decision regarding Witchcraft and Christianity. Archbishop Dunstan was not as hostile to magicians as are some others in my court. I cannot ignore their concerns, for if I do, I will be overthrown like my half brother before me. Then another will come to power who will follow them blindly and do much more harm."

He sighed, and said, "I will do what I can to assuage the unpleasantness that is approaching. But I am powerless to prevent it. My greatest contribution can only be in smaller things, that over time will become fundamental to the future that you have shown me. Forget magic, tell me how do I fight the Danes any longer, now that you tell me that in the future they become one with us Saxons? How can I kill my own people? How can I watch them kill each other?" Thinking for a few seconds, he said firmly, "It is not I who is unready to rule but the country which is not prepared for a ruler who knows the future. But this I will do." His face shone with resolve and he said firmly, "From what I understand of Lady Helga and Lady Rowena's talk, you and Ginny might return to your time someday?"

"Perhaps," said Harry in bemusement. "I do not know."

"Then I name you, Duke Harry, adopted to the royal family of England, and overlord of Magical England," Aethelred said firmly. "This will be my condition for agreeing to the next document that the Church wishes me to ratify. I will talk with Lords Gryffindor and Slytherin and make the document magically enforceable as well. Regardless of the ruling house, your place will be kept constant, Duke Harry. The papers will be ready, and when you return, everything will be in place. No matter what happens, I will ensure that you will have the opportunity to set things right when I cannot."

"Your Highness!" Harry protested, but Ginny silenced him by touching his arm.

"Listen to him, Harry," she said quietly. "Right now, muggles are the ones who are discriminatory. In our time, it is the other way round. Perhaps Aethelred sees something that we don't."

"I do indeed, Lady Ginny," he said, ignoring Ginny's chuckle. "I see before me a boy, younger than I and yet more fit to be king, and a lady, who is in every way that matters, already a queen." Raising his hand to stop them from interrupting, he said, "I see my hands tied by the strings of the Church and my courtiers. But I see that very string as a means to tie them and everyone else… to a future of my design. I will make things so that Duke Harry and Lady Ginny have the means and the opportunity to set things right to my kingdom." He got up, and with a glint of determination, said, "They may call me Aethelred the Fool for a thousand years… but a day will come when my name will change to Aethelred the Farsighted."

Harry and Ginny stood and bowed before the king, as he departed.

"He's a good lad," said Salazar finally, looking at the place here Aethelred had been sitting.

There was a long and grating silence. The battle of Hogwarts had forged a deep bond between the residents of Hogwarts and the young king. Seeing him leave left a small hole in the castle.

Helga was the one who broke it by saying, "Quidditch Cup. To give the children something to cheer about."

--

Harry and Ginny were sitting in a grove in the forest. It was August 11th and Ginny had revealed her birthday to the Founders when Lilith had enquired after Harry's birthday, and so there was to be another day of celebrations. However, Ginny had been adamant about not having anything special. It wasn't until Lilith mentioned celebrating it in the old Celtic ways that Ginny's eyes perked up with interest.

That was why Ginny and Harry were sitting in a grove and muttering incantations to Brigantia, the Celtic queen of goddesses. Clad in a white dress that was wrapped around her and blue flowers adorning her face and hair, Harry could hardly keep from staring at her.

But as the rites were finished and Ginny emerged smiling from the small puddle of water where her feet was immersed, Harry grabbed her in a hug. "You look and smell so beautiful," he said. "I don't want to ever let go."

Ginny giggled and took Harry's face in her hands. Feeling his jaws and cheek, she slid closer into his arms and said, "We belong together, Harry. Here, under the sacred grove with Brigantia as witness, I swear myself to you, always and to eternity."

Harry kissed her lips lovingly and said, "And I swear the same. With Brigantia as witness, I swear myself to you, always and to eternity."

Later, they returned to the castle and gifts were given, despite Ginny's protests. But she couldn't tear her eyes from the beautiful garments given to her by Helga.

"I can't," Ginny said sadly. "These clothes are meant for a princess or a queen. It's much too fine for me."

"You misunderstand me," said Lady Helga with a smile. "These aren't from me. These are from Aethelred, along with much more for both of you. In his words, if he can't bring you to his finest palaces, then he'd send all that is fine in his palace to you. I think he has a crush on you, my dear."

Ginny blushed and looked at Harry, who was smiling fondly. "You look fine with or without these, Ginny. But I wish you'd keep them. Aethelred is correct, you deserve nothing but the best."

"There are some for you too, young man," said Helga. "Robes, armor, garments for special occasions - I have charmed them all to grow with your bodies." Then she turned to Ginny and said, "From me, you receive a simple thing - I give you my share of Hogwarts after my death. In the future, you will be part mistress of this castle, my child."

Ginny looked at Helga with wide eyes and nodded slowly, before Slytherin said, "I leave you my serpent staff, my dearest apprentice, and my share of Hogwarts."

Lilith smiled and together with Harry handed Ginny a big basket that was covered with a black cloth. "Last night I permitted Harry to use the mirror again to locate for you the perfect gift. Not too far from Hogwarts was a cave with two small cubs. Their mother had been killed by a cave-in and we decided to bring the young ones to your care."

Ginny smiled brightly and pulled out the cloth, and gasped. Inside were two lovely little lion cubs - one was a sparkling gold and the other a radiant bronze. But the thing that made Ginny gasp were the feathers that emerged from their back as tiny little wings. "Griffins," she breathed. With excited fingers she touched the golden griffin, which immediately licked her fingers. Ginny giggled and picked the cub gently and said, "You're lovely. I'll call you Brigid, after the goddess I prayed to today." Then she turned to the bronze cub, and picked it up as well and smiled. "You're beautiful too. I'll call you Brigan. Will you let Harry look after you, Brigan?" She asked softly, and gently showed the bronze griffin to Harry. The cub leapt from Ginny's arms and jumped over Harry, who started laughing when the lion's tongue started licking his face all over.

"Ahem," said Godric, with a mirthful look in his eyes. "So quick to be his equal, Ginny. But in this I will let you remain his superior, I give you my share of Hogwarts as well. The two of you, in your time, will be the sole Master and Mistress of this castle, and I lay upon you the charge of protecting Hogwarts from all invaders. Will you accept it?"

Harry looked at Ginny and both nodded as one. "This is my home," said Harry simply.

That night as Harry lay on his bed while holding Ginny securely in his arms, she asked curiously, "Do you think the others know we sleep together and not in different rooms?"

"Yes," said Harry quietly, rubbing his chin over her head. "I see mum check on us every night. She knows we are used to holding each other to sleep at night."

"Lilith is the best," muttered Ginny sleepily. "G'night Harry Bear."

"Good night, Gin Bear."


End file.
